Gangs control who eats at Mississippi jail, monitor says

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A court-appointed monitor is testifying that gangs inside a Mississippi jail often determine whether other inmates get meals. Elizabeth Simpson testified Tuesday in federal court. WLBT-TV reports that Simpson said gangs and “inmate committees” control certain aspects of life in Hinds County’s Raymond Detention Center. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves issued a civil contempt order Feb. 4, saying officials in Mississippi’s largest county have failed to fix problems at the jail. He started holding hearings last week to determine whether to order a receivership in which the federal government would take over operation of the jail, with the county paying the tab.