The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a federal receiver can move forward with taking over the Raymond Detention Center in Hinds County, Mississippi. This decision comes after U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves found unconstitutional conditions and a “stunning array of assaults, as well as deaths” at the jail. The judges agreed that some constitutional violations are still ongoing at the facility, located near Jackson. The Hinds County had previously blocked the takeover, arguing that a federally appointed consultant would not be accountable to voters and taxpayers.
Reeves appointed a public safety consultant, Wendell M. France Sr., in October 2022 to improve conditions at the Raymond Detention Center. France, a former correctional administrator with 27 years of experience in law enforcement, was set to assume operational control of the jail on January 1, 2023. The judges instructed Reeves to reconsider the consultant’s budgeting power, stating that he should not have the authority to determine the annual budget for the jail. They expressed concerns that giving such financial decisions to the consultant would disregard the budgetary constraints faced by the Hinds County Board of Supervisors in managing the facility.
In July 2022, Reeves had placed the jail into receivership due to poor conditions, including deficiencies in supervision and staffing. He mentioned that seven people had died while detained at the facility in 2021. The decision to appoint a receiver for a prison or jail is rare, with only about eight instances recorded across the country where federal and state judges have ordered such actions. The conditions at the Raymond Detention Center were described by Reeves as inadequate, with cell doors not locking and a lack of lighting making life miserable for detainees. He also highlighted issues with guards sleeping instead of monitoring cameras in the control room.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones has acknowledged the problems at the jail, attributing many of them to staffing shortages. In an effort to address the issues, Jones announced in October 2023 that a portion of the jail had been closed down and 200 inmates had been transferred to a privately run prison in Tallahatchie County, located nearly 150 miles north of the current facility. The move was part of ongoing efforts by county officials to rectify the issues identified by the court and improve the living conditions for inmates at the Raymond Detention Center. The appellate court’s decision to allow the federal receiver to proceed with the takeover signifies a significant step towards addressing the longstanding problems at the jail and ensuring that constitutional rights of detainees are upheld.
