New lawsuit: Mississippi prison has ‘abhorrent conditions’

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A new federal lawsuit says Mississippi’s Parchman prison is a violent place where inmates live in abhorrent conditions and their medical needs are ignored.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday on behalf of more than 150 prisoners.

It is similar to one filed in January, and the two lawsuits could eventually be merged.

Attorneys in both lawsuits are being paid by entertainment mogul Jay-Z, rapper Yo Gotti and Team Roc, the philanthropic arm of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.

At least 19 inmates have died in Mississippi prisons since late December.

The latest death happened Wednesday. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Mississippi’s prison system.

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