In May of 1993, the U.S. Department of Justice notified Forrest County, Mississippi of its intention to investigate conditions of the county jail. In July of 1993, following the investigation, the DOJ notified the President of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors of its findings and made recommendations regarding security and supervision; medical and mental healthcare; overcrowding; personal hygiene; exercise; and access to a law library and legal materials. Apparently after negotiation, the Attorney General filed an action under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. section 1997 et seq., against the jail in 1995. Less than a month later, the district court for the Southern District of Mississippi (Judge Charles W. Pickering) approved a consent decree. The consent decree laid out steps the county must take to improve issues discussed in the DOJ's letter of findings and recommendations. According to the docket on PACER, the county continued to submit status reports to the court until 1998, and in 1999 the court granted a joint motion to dismiss the case.

Lauren Cutson - 05/25/2005


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