Mississippi county closes jail pod plagued by fights and escapes, sends 200 inmates 2 hours away

RAYMOND, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s largest county is no longer using a section of its jail that has been plagued with security problems that include fights and escapes. Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones says 200 inmates were taken out of Pod A at the Raymond Detention Center last week. They were transferred to the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility, which is nearly 150 miles away and is run by the private prison company CoreCivic. Jones says the jail in Raymond now has fewer than 400 people being held in its other pods. He says this should alleviate some concerns about short staffing and help ensure public safety.