Analysis: More review for some pretrial cases during virus
The leader of the Mississippi Supreme Court says he will require some judges to more frequently review who is being held in county jails during the coronavirus pandemic.
Preventing suicides in jail: Local authorities enhancing protocols as inmate deaths rise nationally
In June, construction was completed on two new cells, each designed to hold only one person at a time, in the Clay County Jail.
Suspect in Longview murder identified, released from jail
The suspect in a murder near Longview off Highway 12 has been charged and released from Oktibbeha County Jail.
Mississippi city agrees to change how it jails the poor
Another Mississippi city is settling a lawsuit with civil rights lawyers by agreeing to change how it jails poor people.
Local pilot gets 10 months in British jail for alcohol
A Columbus pilot has been sentenced to jail time overseas for being under the influence of alcohol while preparing to fly from Scotland to New Jersey.
Michigan couple avoids jail over lost Dr. Seuss library book
A Michigan couple who faced jail after they borrowed a novel and a Dr. Seuss book from a local library and held onto them long past their return dates will remain free.
Judge gives Texas ‘affluenza’ teen nearly 2 years in jail
A judge on Wednesday ordered a Texas teenager who used an “affluenza” defense in a fatal drunken-driving wreck to serve nearly two years in jail, a surprising sanction that far exceeds the several months in jail that prosecutors initially said they would pursue.
Justice Dept.: States shouldn’t jail over fine nonpayment
The Justice Department is discouraging state court systems from jailing poor defendants who fail to pay fines or fees, warning against practices that it says run afoul of the Constitution and erode community trust.
Poor offenders pay high price when probation turns on profit
When Steven Gibbs couldn’t afford the fees demanded by the company supervising his probation, he wound up in jail.
Jail bans photos after drug-soaked pictures discovered
A Virginia jail is no longer allowing inmates to receive personal photographs after officials found inmates were chewing on pictures that had been soaked in a drug.
New video shows more of Bland’s time in Texas jail
Texas authorities released additional footage from Sandra Bland’s three days in jail, saying they wanted to dispel rumors that she was dead before arriving.
Unpaid city, justice court fines worth millions
Municipal and justice courts in the Golden Triangle tally millions of dollars worth of old, uncollected fines, but many of these courts are more aggressively seeking to reduce that number.
State looking into local man’s death
State officials are investigating the death of a 41-year-old Columbus man who died after being transported from the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle this weekend.
Marine veteran out of Mexico jail, home in Florida
A retired U.S. Marine who fought in Afghanistan returned home to Florida on Saturday after spending eight months in a Mexican jail for crossing the border with loaded guns.
Debate renews on Miss. indigent defense
In 1997, the Mississippi Legislature’s reluctance to finance a statewide public defender system prompted then-Gov. Kirk Fordice to recommend fashioning a payment plan to encourage private lawyers to handle death penalty cases — the main concern at that time.
ACLU sues county over failure to indict inmates
A Mississippi county has illegally held inmates in jail for as long as a year without appointing counsel or presenting cases to a grand jury, the American Civil Liberties Union argues in a lawsuit, and a law professor said Wednesday that something similar could be happening elsewhere in the state.
2 man escape from Hancock County jail; 1 caught
Chief Deputy Don Bass says one of two men who escaped from the Hancock County jail remains at large.
Bass tells The Sun Herald investigators believe 28-year-old Perry Thomas and 21-year-old Montrell McPherson scaled the fence around the recreation yard late Sunday afternoon.
More than 100 injured in Florida jail explosion
A gas explosion at a jail has injured 100 to 150 inmates and corrections officers, a county spokeswoman said.
Woman lands in jail on visiting day
A woman visiting the Warren County Jail is now in the jail herself.
Four arrested in contraband seizure outside prison
Rankin County deputies have seized several plastic bags of tobacco, a dozen cellphones with phone chargers and other items and arrested four people accused of trying to toss the items over a fence at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.