There has been a recent influx of deaths at Mississippi prisons over the last 10 days. The inhumane conditions in which inmates are forced to live in, along with the deadly violence within the prisons has caused much unrest. In response, Yo Gotti and Team Roc – the philanthropic/social justice branch of Roc Nation – wrote a letter to the Governor of Mississippi, warning him to improve the safety conditions of state prisons or face a lawsuit.
Gotti, along with Team Roc, sent a letter to Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant urging the governor and lawmakers to make changes to the inhumane living conditions in state prisons. Gotti and his team say that the inmates, both male and female, are “forced to live in squalor, with rats that crawl over them as they sleep on the floor, denied even a mattress for a cot.” They go on to say that these conditions violate the eighth amendment right that prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
According to TMZ, Gotti was set off by two deaths that occurred at Parchman Farm prison not far from the rapper’s hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.
In a statement Gotti said that “The conditions in the prisons operated by the Mississippi Department of Corrections are absolutely inhumane and unconstitutional. To see this happen so close to my hometown of Memphis is truly devastating. That’s why we’re calling on Mississippi state leaders to take immediate action and rectify this issue. If they don’t right this wrong, we’re prepared to take legal action to provide relief for those that are incarcerated and their families.”
Many blame Mississippi’s department of corrections for the spike of deadly violence and inhumane conditions within the prisons while Gov. Bryant states that it is the inmates who are responsible for this.
Gotti and Team Roc have reportedly given Gov. Bryant the weekend to improve the situation, and if things are not better or solved by Monday, they will pursue legal action.
