maximum-security prison farm in Mississippi, USA
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to replace a 100-year-old canal lock that connects the Mississippi River to the Industrial Canal in the Lower Ninth Ward. The project has an estimated timeline of 13 years and a budget of more than $1 billion. Also in the works is a plan to build a $30 million grain terminal in Holy Cross.These projects are concerning residents, who worry they could lead to flooding,pollution and other issues. Sam Bowler, organizer with The Canal Will Kill NOLA, tells us how community members are fighting back, including their upcoming 5K race to raise awareness. Since Donald Trump took office in January, his administration has made major cuts to national government agencies. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is no exception. The administration has fired four senior FEMA senior officials, reduced staffing by 84 percent and declared they would, “get rid of FEMA the way it exists today.”Sarah Labowitz, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, tells us how these changes could dramatically alter how Gulf states prepare for and respond to natural disasters. A new collection of essays, art and poetry by men incarcerated at the Mississippi State Penitentiary -- best known as Parchman Farm -- is shedding light on one of the country's most notorious prison units. For The Gulf States Newsroom, Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Michael McEwen tells us how this effort began shortly after the most violent period in Parchman's history. ___Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Alana Schreiber. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. Matt Bloom and Aubry Procell are assistant producers. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It's available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!
Get Unit 29 here: https://www.amazon.com/Unit-29-Writing.../dp/B0DNTGQKST Writing From Parchman Prison features writings and artwork by incarcerated men at Mississippi State Penitentiary. Get Tickets to the live podcast in San Francisco, "Is Trump the End of, The End of History" here: https://www.universe.com/.../is-trump-the-end-of-history... Check out our new bi-weekly series, "The Crisis Papers" here: https://www.patreon.com/bitterlakepresents/shop Thank you guys again for taking the time to check this out. We appreciate each and everyone of you. If you have the means, and you feel so inclined,BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron only programing, you'll get bonus content from many of the episodes, and you get MERCH! Become a patron now https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents? Please also like, subscribe, and follow us on these platforms as well, (specially YouTube!) THANKS Y'ALL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3egTwitch: www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/Twitter: @TIRShowOaklandInstagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland Read Jason Myles in Sublation Magazine https://www.sublationmag.com/writers/jason-myles Read Jason Myles in Damage Magazine https://damagemag.com/2023/11/07/the-man-who-sold-the-world/
This time, Kate and Alex talk to BAFTA and Emmy winning director Sophie Robinson about the film that inspired her - the powerful and moving Fourteen Days in May. This 1987 Grierson-winning film recounts the final days before the execution of Edward Earl Johnson, an American prisoner convicted of rape and murder and imprisoned in the Mississippi State Penitentiary. If you're in the UK, you can watch the film on BBC iPlayer here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05m5xb9. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
At just 16 years old Ronald Olivier made a decision that would change his life forever, but he wouldn't let it define it. On today's show Ronald shares his journey from growing up in poverty-stricken New Orleans to being sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole at the age of 16. He recounts his transformation in prison and how he became a missionary, spreading the gospel to other inmates. Despite facing challenges and unjust treatment, Ronald remains hopeful and finds purpose in his faith. He shares a powerful encounter with the victim's mother, ways he saw God move in other prisoners' life, and the impact forgiveness had in changing his life forever. Today, Ronald Olivier is a loving husband and father. He has his Bachelor's Degree in Christian Ministry and is an ordained minister. For several years Ronald served as the Director of Chaplaincy for the Mississippi State Penitentiary, and today serves as a Client Advocate for the Louisiana Parole Project where he helps formerly incarcerated individuals transition back into society.Ultimately, Ronald's story is one of redemption and the power of God's grace, and we know you'll love hearing about his journey of freedom, forgiveness, and redemption during his time in Angola prison. Ronald's life is a testament to the power of forgiveness and the possibility of redemption.Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with a friend! SHOW LINKS: Connect with Ronald27 Summers Brandon's Episode on The Happy Hour Kent's Episode on The Happy Hour
Bonjour! Stephanie here. I just finished reading a book called “27 Summers” by Ronald Olivier, and I'm still recovering from the shock of it. He shares his gripping journey of running the streets in Louisiana of life without parole at the Angola prison and then finding his way back home. 27 Summers, that's 27 years he spent in Angola prison. The first time that Ronald saw someone killed, he was 12 years old. Death was It's all around, and after running the New Orleans streets for several years selling drugs, stealing cars, he murdered a young man at age 16. And so he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. That is his story of how he lost his life, and he's going to tell us how, by God's grace, he found it again inside a prison cell in the worst prison in the states. He grew up in the eighth ward of New Orleans, and the streets were his playground. He played hard without many consequences until one ill-fated Christmas day when he pulled his gun, fired it, and killed someone. After waiting 2 years for trial, he was convicted a state of second-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole in Angola, the Louisiana state penitentiary which is America's most notoriously brutal prison. His memoir came out just a few weeks ago, 27 Summers. Ronald gives us an in-depth look into this mesmerizing story, his youth, he the Adrenaline filled highs, the utter lows, the near-3 decades of incarceration, and most of all, God's relentless love reaching into those dark depths. He details finding true freedom during the imprisonment. He details the miraculous release. The story continues to this day, and he tells us about it in today's episode. I've asked him why he wrote this book. And he said it's to be inspired by god's unrelenting love for all of us, his grace, his redemption, and they're on full display as Ronald finds abundant life in prison. He attends seminary. He finds forgiveness. He's going to tell us about that. All of this within the context of a life sentence. His motto gives me chills: “Don't tell me what God can't do.” It's the heartbeat behind this riveting story. It's a firsthand example of God's power to transform individuals, families, communities to this day. KEY TAKEAWAYS - Emphasizing the positive impact of rehabilitation, Ronald shares his journey from imprisonment to becoming the director of chaplaincy at the Mississippi State Penitentiary and his work with the Louisiana Parole Project, advocating for the reentry of long-term prisoners into society. - Olivier speaks about his coming to faith, the complete turnaround in prison, leading to his release and eventual parole, marking a turning point in his journey and a testament to the transformative power of God's grace. - Sharing about his book "27 Summers", Ronald Olivier's story touches global audiences, shedding light on the unjust conditions of the justice system and offering hope that trusting in God can bring about unfathomable change in the most challenging circumstances. MORE ABOUT RONALD OLIVIER Ronald Olivier served twenty-seven summers in the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola. He was released in 2018, and became a client of the Louisiana Parole Project. In 2020, less than two years after leaving Angola, Ronald was hired as the director of chaplaincy at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. In 2023 Ronald returned to the Louisiana Parole Project as a client advocate, using his experience to guide other formerly incarcerated people toward successful careers and lives. He lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his wife and son. MORE ABOUT 27 SUMMERS In one of America's most notorious prisons, a young man sentenced to life without parole miraculously found faith, forgiveness, redemption, and restoration. In 27 Summers, Ronald Olivier shares his dramatic and powerful story and offers proof that God can bring healing and hope to even the darkest circumstances. As a teenager Ronald Olivier ran wild in the streets of New Orleans, selling drugs, stealing cars, and finally killing someone on what was supposed to be the happiest day of the year--Christmas Day. Facing the consequences of his crime, he remembered what his mother once said. "Baby, if you ever have real trouble, the kind that I can't get you out of, you can always call on Jesus." So he did. Ronnie was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Through the agony of solitary confinement and multiple transfers into increasingly dangerous prison environments, Ron kept seeking God for healing and hope. Finally, after being locked up for twenty-seven summers at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary--known as Angola--Ronald was miraculously released. Remarkably, he became the director of chaplains at Mississippi State Penitentiary. Today, he loves to combat hopelessness, wherever he finds it, by saying, "Don't tell me what God can't do!” Through his book, he invites you to - learn new insights about faith and patience from a man who spent almost three decades in a cruel and violent environment; - be encouraged, like Ron, to find grace and forgiveness to overcome the pain of their past; and - find hope that God can redeem and restore anyone. Ronald's fascinating story brilliantly displays God's power to transform individuals, families, and communities, reminding us that there truly is nothing God can't do. REVIEWS 27 Summers is an incredible journey into the power of redemption. Ronald Olivier's story takes us on a rollercoaster from his wild youth in the streets of New Orleans to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where he finds salvation and solace through faith in God. This book is an inspiring tale that shows how even in our darkest moments, we can find hope, peace, and freedom if we choose to turn to God. Ronald is a great example to others that anyone seeking God and redemption can find his way out of the pits of hell-- from a life of crime and prison-- and into a life of helping others. 27 Summers is a must- read. -- Commissioner Burl Cain, Mississippi Department of Corrections Gritty, terrifying yet truly uplifting! -- Bear Grylls, adventurer and author of Never Give Up and Mud, Sweat, and Tears I first met Ronald Olivier in prison. An experience I thought I would never take part in. Since meeting Ronald and learning about his story, I've wanted nothing more than for the world to hear it and meet the man who inspired me. 27 Summers will change your perspective on life, faith, and love. Ronald did that for me. His story will do the same for you. I can't wait for you to read about Ronald and learn what I learned: that change is not only possible but also probable when you encounter Jesus. Thank you Slim, for sharing your story with the world. We need it. -- Sam Acho, author, speaker, and ESPN analyst Ronnie Slim is a living testimony to God's redemptive power. In the depths of one of America's most notorious prisons, he discovered unimaginable healing, hope, and God's purpose for his life. 27 Summers tells the story of God's abounding love, proving that even in the darkest of circumstances, He is with us and provides a way out. -- Len Vanden Bos, chaplain for the Buffalo Bills This inspiring, powerful, and important memoir is so timely as we continue to reckon with decades of over- incarceration and excessive punishment. Ron Olivier makes redemption accessible to us all. -- Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy This inviting, encouraging, and inspiring book is the read you've been wait-ing for! Ronald Olivier's journey of flaws and failures led to a life of faith and unusual triumph. 27 Summers beckons you to step behind prison walls with Ronnie and experience freedom born of God's grace and mercy, proof that He never counts anyone out. -- Dr. Leslie Draper III, board certified senior clinical chaplain and mayor of Simmesport, Louisiana This is one of the most compelling comeback stories you will ever read. It will hold your attention on every page-- and ultimately lead you to your knees in wonder, love, and praise. Hugely recommended! -- Matt Redman, GRAMMY Award– winning worship leader and songwriter and author Support us on Other, PayPal and Other!
In one of America's most notorious prisons, a young man sentenced to life without parole miraculously found faith, forgiveness, redemption, and restoration. In 27 Summers, Ronald Olivier shares his dramatic and powerful story and offers proof that God can bring healing and hope to even the darkest circumstances.As a teenager, Ronald Olivier ran wild in the streets of New Orleans, selling drugs, stealing cars, and finally killing someone on what was supposed to be the happiest day of the year—Christmas Day. Facing the consequences of his crime, he remembered what his mother once said. "Baby, if you ever have real trouble, the kind that I can't get you out of, you can always call on Jesus." So he did.Ron was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Through the agony of solitary confinement and multiple transfers into increasingly dangerous prison environments, Ron kept seeking God for healing and hope. Finally, after being locked up for twenty-seven summers at the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary—known as Angola—Ron was miraculously released. Remarkably, he became the director of chaplains at Mississippi State Penitentiary. Today, Ron loves to combat hopelessness, wherever he finds it, by saying, "Don't tell me what God can't do!” Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/unimpressedpodcast. https://plus.acast.com/s/unimpressedpodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fran, Matilda, Gabe, and Surly drive to the Mississippi State Penitentiary to see an unwell John who turns out to have things to say. They aren't alone on the drive. They aren't alone inside the prison, in which chaos, sickness, and rage reign, while Fran, in the parking lot, has a close raven encounter.
In 1940, bluesman Bukka White recorded "Parchman Farm Blues," a lament about being imprisoned in the infamous Mississippi State Penitentiary (2:30). Insightful lyrics, impassioned vocals, great slide guitar, and some nice accompaniment from Washboard Sam to boot! Even though he denied it, jazzman Mose Allison adapted White's song in 1958, titling it "Parchman Farm" and giving the song a controversial punchline (43:43). His version was an unlikely dance hit amongst the British Mods, with an insistent piano riff, solid rhythm section backing, and lots of hipster irony. In 1966, The Blues Breakers took the song on, with John Mayall's harmonica in place of the piano, another great rhythm section (including future Fleetwood Mac-er John McVie on bass), and Eric Clapton in the back, reading his Beano comic book. Finally, back to the States to hear The Traits, with Johnny Winter, who shreds on guitar and vocals mere months before he finds fame at Woodstock (1:38:59). Drink some wine, sit on Number 9, and open your textbooks ...
While Ken is traveling on the Civil Rights Tour, he's replaying some of his top podcasts. He's also asking you to check in with your thoughts on the celebration of his 200th Episode.d Kale, M.Div., 1963 professional kayaker, was a student at Yale Divinity School in 1961 when a generous professor funded is participation in a Freedom Ride to Jackson, MS. He was arrested, put in jail along with other men and women, black and white. Because the jails were full, he and the others (including the famed William Sloan Coffin), were transferred to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Ken met Ed while kayaking on Lake Superior - and then met at the historic Old Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield, WI for an interview. They talked about their experience as seminarians, and then Ed's journey which includes his friendship with James Farmer (the civil rights champion who organized the Freedom Rides), Carol Ruth Silver (author and fellow Freedom Rider) and the incomparable author and philosopher James Baldwin. Learn more about Ed Kale in our SHOW NOTES. SEND MESSAGE re EPISODE 200 to KEN | Send audio message to kenk@beachedwhitemale.comBecome a Patron: www.patreon.com/beachedwhitemaleSupport the show
Jack is invited to talk with a group of inmates at the notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm. An experience that leads to deep reflections about family, and life's twisted paths. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Cedric Richmond, former U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District, is leaving his post as a senior aide in the Biden White House. The Advocate's Editorial Director and columnist, Stephanie Grace, tells us what might result from Louisiana losing this direct line to the President. Last week, the The U-S Department of Justice published a report last week, outlining how the Mississippi Department of Corrections is violating prisoners' rights at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. The Gulf State's Newsroom's Brittany Brown spoke with Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Desare Frazier to discuss the report and its findings. Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Paul Braun. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our digital editor is Katelyn Umholtz. Our engineers are Garrett Pittman, Aubry Procell, and Thomas Walsh. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:30 pm. It's available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4.20.22 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: GA Online personality accused of Doxing, DOJ investigates Miss. Prison, Mich. Overtaxing, Flikshop An Atlanta social media cook is accused of blasting out personal information of people who questioned or disagreed with him. Putting out someone's personal information for intimidation or harassing purposes is called "Doxing." In the RMU studio, one woman who was in court yesterday defending herself from stalking allegations by Darius "Cooks" Williams, who she says has been doxing her. We'll also have an expert to give us tips on keeping our information safe. The Justice Department says the conditions at a Mississippi State Penitentiary violate the Constitution. We'll show you some of the conditions of the prison. The arrest of a young black boy accused of stealing a bag of chips by Syracuse police is causing outrage and debate about how cops should treat children. Nearly 100,000 Detroiters lost their home to foreclosures because the city illegally overtaxed homeowners $600M. We'll talk to one woman who lost her home because of this and a member of the Coalition for Property Tax Justice who is working on getting those homeowners their money. It's taken two years, but A Connecticut state trooper faces manslaughter for killing a man after a high-speed chase. And in today's Tech Talk segment, a former inmate created an app to bring a little love to others in prison. Support #RolandMartinUnfiltered and #BlackStarNetwork via the Cash App ☛ https://cash.app/$rmunfiltered PayPal ☛ https://www.paypal.me/rmartinunfiltered Venmo ☛https://venmo.com/rmunfiltered Zelle ☛ roland@rolandsmartin.com Annual or monthly recurring #BringTheFunk Fan Club membership via paypal ☛ https://rolandsmartin.com/rmu-paypal/ Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox
This holiday week - a SPECIAL REBROADCAST from October 2020: one of Ken's all-time favorites. Ken met this remarkable octogenarian while Kayaking on Lake Superior. Ed Kale, M.Div., 1963 professional kayaker, was a student at Yale Divinity School in 1961 when a generous professor funded his participation in a Freedom Ride to Jackson, MS. He was arrested, put in jail along with other men and women, black and white. Because the jails were full, he and the others (including the famed William Sloan Coffin), were transferred to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Ken met Ed while kayaking on Lake Superior - and then met at the historic Old Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield, WI for an interview. They talked about their experience as seminarians, and then Ed's journey which includes his friendship with James Farmer (the civil rights champion who organized the Freedom Rides), Carol Ruth Silver (author and fellow Freedom Rider), and the incomparable author and philosopher James Baldwin. Learn more about Ed Kale in our SHOW NOTES. From SEASON 1, Episode 42: OCTOBER 2020Become a Patron www.patreon.com/beachedwhitemaleSupport the show (http://thebeachedwhitemale.com)
Liz went on a two-pronged reporting trip, first to DC to cover a congressional hearing, and then to the Mississippi State Penitentiary to cover the execution of David Cox. Matt tagged along and collected bits of audio for this somewhat experimental episode.
A Mississippi man convicted of fatally shooting his estranged wife and sexually assaulting his 12-year-old stepdaughter in front of her mother while she was dying became the first inmate to be executed in the state in nine years on Wednesday. David Neal Cox, 50, was sentenced to death in 2012 for murdering Kim Kirk Cox and assaulting her daughter Lindsey Kirk three times while her mother was bleeding to death at her sister's Sherman, Mississippi, home in 2010, according to WVTA-TV in Tupelo, Mississippi. Cox surrendered all his appeals and wrote in court filings that he was "worthy of death." He died by lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. https://www.foxnews.com/us/mississippi-inmate-who-shot-wife-sexually-assaulted-stepdaughter-while-she-lay-dying-put-to-death --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hollywoodandchinadollshow/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hollywoodandchinadollshow/support
A former white-supremacist and Klansman, once infamously called the "most dangerous man in Mississippi," sits with Jonathan and retells his incredible journey from a life of violence and hate to a life of radical love fueled by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. In high-school, Thomas was enticed by extremist ideology and became involved in the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. He was shot and wounded several times and arrested by police after an attempted bombing of the home of a Jewish leader. Thomas was sentenced to thirty years in the Mississippi State Penitentiary. He then escaped prison but was captured by the F.B.I. He was returned to prison where he would spend the next three years in a small, solitary cell. During this time, Thomas began to search for truth. He started with the great philosophers and was then led to the Bible where he truly encountered Jesus Christ for the very first time. This dramatic interview will have you in awe and on the edge of your seat as Thomas tells of his radical transformation that smacks of a live action movie. His complete change is evidence that the Gospel of Christ can transform even the hardest heart and mind.Thomas A. Tarrants is President Emeritus of the C.S. Lewis Institute. After serving twelve years as president and nine years as vice President, he retired from his position as Vice President for Ministry and Director, Washington Area Fellows Program, with CSLI in June 2019. Tom holds a Master of Divinity Degree, as well as a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Christian Spirituality. He is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Church Alliance and a member of the Evangelical Theological Society.Get Your Copy of Consumed by Hate, Redeemed by LoveAfter you listen to this episode, you may have your own questions. We would love to hear from you! To ask Jonathan a question or connect with the Candid community, visit https://LTW.org/CandidAlso, join the conversation on our social media pages:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/candidpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/candidpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/thecandidpod
Tune into Chalkboard Chat during the month of July for “Mississippi Prison Education & Reentry”, 3-part episode series, as we discuss education and re-entry programs for incarcerated individuals. On this episode, we chat with Mississippi Humanities Council's Assistant Director, Carol Andersen and Project Coordinator for Prison Education, Carla Falkner about the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Award to support Community College Education in Mississippi Prisons. We also sit down with Dr. Ben Cloyd, Vice President for Effectiveness and Enrollment at Mississippi Delta Community College, to discuss his administrative role implementing and monitoring the HEP (Higher Education in Prison) program at Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm. For more information about MPB Education visit: https://education.mpbonline.org/. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Yo Gotti grew up in Memphis just across the state line from Mississippi State Penitentiary (aka Parchman) — so this year, when he learned about the squalor its inmates were living in, he wanted to help. Gotti enlisted Jay-Z and Roc Nation to sue the department of corrections for human rights violations. In our finale episode, we ask how much celebrity activism really helps the prison reform movement, and sit down with rapper Noname and organizer Mariame Kaba to consider the alternate solutions proposed by prison abolition.
Early 90’s Mississippi saw a bizarre cluster of murders by teens, including the shooting deaths of Joe and Sue Carley by the 14-year-old adopted son George Ogden Carley; the murder of Sheila Greenlee by her 15-year-old son Aaron Greenlee; and the murder of 13-year-old Kristen Aultman by her 14-year-old ex-boyfriend Joshua Charles Miller. Also covered are the cases of Steven McGilberry, Marvin McClendon, Michael Larry Knight, and Shannon Garrison, Melissa Garrison & Allen Goul.Brought to you by Best Fiends!Music:We Talk of DreamsSources:WLOX, July 1, 2002. “Player in shocking coast murder dies.”https://www.wlox.com/story/840892/player-in-shocking-coast-murder-dies/WLOX, June 22, 2017. “Appeals court upholds life sentence for convicted killer.” https://www.wlox.com/story/35763530/appeals-court-upholds-life-sentence-for-convicted-killer/?utm_content=buffer86462&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=bufferEnterprise-Journal (AP), December 28, 1993. “Bond set for teens charged in slaying.” https://www.newspapers.com/image/318888328/Los Angeles Times, January 30, 1995. “Issues of bias against black suspect, gay victims surface in Miss. murder case.” https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-01-30-1995030019-story.htmlMargaret Baker, Biloxi Sun Herald. January 23, 2020. “Stephen McGilberry to remain in jail for murder of MS family.” https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1995-01-30-1995030019-story.htmlhttps://caselaw.findlaw.com/ms-supreme-court/1166734.htmlhttps://caselaw.findlaw.com/ms-court-of-appeals/1056695.htmlhttps://caselaw.findlaw.com/ms-supreme-court/1045414.htmlhttps://courts.ms.gov/appellatecourts/docket/sendPDF.php?f=web0001.COA.2018-CA-1355.22268.0.pdf&c=89039&a=N&s=2Nikki Davis Maute, Hattiesburg American. “Teenager gets two life sentences,” March 21, 1997. https://www.newspapers.com/image/277172652/?terms=George%2BcarleyNikki Davis Maute, Hattiesburg American. “Suspect breaks down,” March 18, 1997. https://www.newspapers.com/image/277170696/?terms=George%2BcarleyNikki Davis Maute, Hattiesburg American. “Ellisville teen’s murder trial set to begin Aug. 26,” August 9, 1996. https://www.newspapers.com/image/277316339/?terms=George%2BcarleyNikki Davis Maute, Hattiesburg American. “Accused teen had history of mental illness,” March 28, 1995. https://www.newspapers.com/image/279758028/Nikki Davis Maute, Hattiesburg American. Double murder leaves neigbors shocked, confused and disbelieving,” March 28, 1995. https://www.newspapers.com/image/279758028/Scott Travis, Hattiesburg American. “Sumrall teen charged in mom’s killing,” May 19, 1996. https://www.newspapers.com/image/277215272/?terms=Aaron%2BGreenleeNikki Davis Maute, Hattiesburg American. “Man offers to support jailed son,” May 21, 1996. https://www.newspapers.com/image/277218496/?terms=Aaron%2BGreenleeNikki Davis Maute, Hattiesburg American. “Friends say victim ‘asked for so little, yet gave so much’,” May 21, 1996. https://www.newspapers.com/image/277218496/?terms=Aaron%2BGreenleeJanet Braswell, Hattiesburg American. “Officer details teen-ager’s arrest,” August 29, 1996. https://www.newspapers.com/image/277317761/?terms=Aaron%2BGreenleeNikki Davis Maute, Hattiesburg American. “Greenlee on trial for mom’s death,” March 24, 1997. https://www.newspapers.com/image/277178427/?terms=Aaron%2BGreenleeJanet Braswell, Hattiesburg American. “Testimony begins in teen-ager’s murder trial,” March 25, 1997. https://www.newspapers.com/image/277178775/?terms=Aaron%2BGreenleeJanet Braswell, Hattiesburg American. “Lamar teen held without bond,” August 20, 1996. https://www.newspapers.com/image/277317207/?terms=Joshua%20Miller%20Oloh&match=1Susan G. Christensen, The Clarion-Ledger. “Shellshocked small town asks why,” September 22, 1996. https://www.newspapers.com/image/183011632/Billy Watkins, The Clarion-Ledger. “People are being saved over this,” September 22, 1996. https://www.newspapers.com/image/183011632Lici Beveridge, Hattiesburg American. “Teen killer: ‘For the past 8,017 days I have thought about my actions’,” August 2, 2018. https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/02/should-teen-killer-get-possibility-parole-judge-decide/875713002/Lici Beveridge, Hattiesburg American. “Mississippi man convicted of murder as a teen will have no chance at parole,” June 5, 2020. https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/crime/2020/06/05/no-parole-mississippi-man-joshua-miller-convicted-murder-teen/3153624001/Caitlin McCarthy, ABC 24. “Exclusive: inmate in Unit 29 at Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman is relieved the governor is stepping in to shut it down,” January 29, 2020. https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/local/local-in-ms/exclusive-inmate-in-unit-29-at-mississippi-state-penitentiary-in-parchman-is-relieved-the-governor-is-stepping-in-to-shut-it-down/522-9ac82543-c355-4594-b03c-ddc37d4faf0c
Ed Kale, M.Div., 1963 professional kayaker, was a student at Yale Divinity School in 1961 when a generous professor funded is participation in a Freedom Ride to Jackson, MS. He was arrested, put in jail along with other men and women, black and white. Because the jails were full, he and the others (including the famed William Sloan Coffin), were transferred to the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Ken met Ed while kayaking on Lake Superior - and then met at the historic Old Rittenhouse Inn in Bayfield, WI for an interview. They talked about their experience as seminarians, and then Ed's journey which includes his friendship with James Farmer (the civil rights champion who organized the Freedom Rides), Carol Ruth Silver (author and fellow Freedom Rider) and the incomparable author and philosopher James Baldwin. Learn more about Ed Kale in our SHOW NOTES. Support the show (http://thebeachedwhitemale.com)
In preparation for reading Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing, we explore the history and musical legacy of one of the most notorious prisons in the United States, the Mississippi State Penitentiary, otherwise known as Parchman Farm.
In 1969, while attempting to bomb the home of a Jewish leader in Meridian, Mississippi, our guest was ambushed by law enforcement and shot multiple times during a high-speed chase. Nearly dead from his wounds, he was arrested and sentenced to thirty years in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman Farm. Unrepentant, he and two other inmates made a daring escape from Parchman yet were tracked down by an FBI SWAT team and apprehended in hail of bullets that killed one of the convicts. It was then that he began a search for truth that led him to the Bible and a reading of the gospels. Hear the full story as we learn the power of true love.
In 1969, while attempting to bomb the home of a Jewish leader in Meridian, Mississippi, our guest was ambushed by law enforcement and shot multiple times during a high-speed chase. Nearly dead from his wounds, he was arrested and sentenced to thirty years in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman Farm. Unrepentant, he and two other inmates made a daring escape from Parchman yet were tracked down by an FBI SWAT team and apprehended in hail of bullets that killed one of the convicts. It was then that he began a search for truth that led him to the Bible and a reading of the gospels. Hear the full story as we learn the power of true love.
As an ordinary high school student in the 1960s, Tom Tarrants became deeply unsettled by the social upheaval of the era. In response, he turned for answers to extremist ideology and was soon utterly radicalized. Before long, he became involved in the reign of terror spread by Mississippi's dreaded White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, described by the FBI as the most violent right-wing terrorist organization in America.In 1969, while attempting to bomb the home of a Jewish leader in Meridian, Mississippi, Tom was ambushed by law enforcement and shot multiple times during a high-speed chase. Nearly dead from his wounds, he was arrested and sentenced to thirty years in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman Farm. Unrepentant, Tom and two other inmates made a daring escape from Parchman yet were tracked down by an FBI SWAT team and apprehended in hail of bullets that killed one of the convicts. Tom spent the next three years alone in a six-foot-by-nine-foot cell. There he began a search for truth that led him to the Bible and a reading of the gospels, resulting in his conversion to Jesus Christ and liberation from the grip of racial hatred and violence.Astounded by the change in Tom, many of the very people who worked to put him behind bars began advocating for his release. After serving eight years of a 35-year sentence, Tom left prison. He attended college, moved to Washington, DC, and became copastor of a racially mixed church. He went on to earn a doctorate and became the president of the C. S. Lewis Institute, where he devoted himself to helping others become wholehearted followers of Jesus.A dramatic story of radical transformation, Consumed by Hate, Redeemed by Love demonstrates that hope is not lost even in the most tumultuous of times, even those similar to our own.Support the show (http://www.faithandlaw.org/donate)
Listen closely to the start of the 2015 hit "Hey Mama" by David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Afrojack, and Bebe Rexha and you'll hear voices intoning a chant: "Be my woman, girl, I'll be your man." It's sample from a 1948 recording called "Rosie," and it's the propulsive hook of "Hey Mama," driving the song to over a billion views on YouTube. The voices in the sample belong to CB Cook and ten other unidentified prisoners at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, aka Parchman Farm. These men never got credit for their work, even though it's been reused by everyone from Guetta to the Animals to Nina Simone. We investigate the story of "Rosie" to understand an inequity that lies at the heart of the music business and our national consciousness. Songs Discussed David Guetta ft Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha, and Afrojack - Hey Mama CB Cook and Axe Gang - Rosie The Animals - Inside Looking Out Grand Funk Railroad - Inside Looking OUt KRS-One - Sound of Da Police Jay Z - Takeover Nina Simone - Be My Husband Check out Kembrew McLeod's and Peter DiCola's book Creative License to learn more about the law and culture of digital sampling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The death row lawyer Clive Stafford Smith certainly can’t, especially as this week should have seen Edward Earl Johnson turn sixty. Instead, in 1987, he was executed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary for a crime nobody thinks he committed; Harry Sidebottom considers the ancients’ view on the plague, a serious outbreak of which occurred somewhere around the Mediterranean every ten to twenty years; “If oil is the blood of the global economy, shipping is the circulatory system”, say Tom Stevenson, who describes how the world’s economic and diplomatic relationships play out at sea Fourteen Days in May – BBC Storyville, on BBC iPlayerSinews of War and Trade: Shipping and capitalism in the Arabian peninsula by Laleh Khalili See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This week, Roqayah and Kumars are joined from Jackson, Mississippi by veteran community organizers Pauline and Frederick Rogers. Pauline is President of the RECH Foundation or Reaching and Educating for Community Hope, and cofounder of that organization along with her husband Fred. Pauline and Frederick were both formerly incarcerated at Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm. Together they founded RECH as a prison and reentry ministry whose projects include the Wendy Hatcher Transitional Home and the Mississippi Freedom Letters Campaign in collaboration with historian and activist Garrett Felber, assistant professor of history the University of Mississippi and author of the book Those Who Know Don’t Say: The Nation of Islam, the Black Freedom Movement, and the Carceral State, out now from University of North Carolina Press. After Pauline and Fred share a bit of how their lives have been impacted by the prison system, they outline the broad range of services and advocacy they are able to engage in through the RECH Foundation. Pauline, Fred and Garrett discuss the deepening prison crisis in Mississippi, where 19 inmates have died in state prisons since the end of last year, most of them in the notorious Parchman facility. They explain why the Mississippi prison system and especially Parchman have a particular reputation for brutality, detailing both the history of the institution and the current conditions inmates endure. The crew ends by giving their assessment of state and federal government responses to the crisis as well as the double-edged sword of celebrity-driven media attention that has recently brought Parchman into the national spotlight. You can follow Pauline on Twitter @rechpauline, Garrett at @garrett_felber and learn more about everyone’s work at the RECH Foundation on their website. If you want to support the show and receive access to tons of bonus content, subscribe on our Patreon for as little as $5 a month. Also, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts. We can't do this show without your support!!!
Brutality and inhumanity were central to the Southern state prison farms, in their theory and their practice, and of them all, the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman Farm was the most brutal and inhuman. Both John A. and Alan Lomax made repeated visits to Parchman, recording — under the eye of the disinterested white captains, sergeants, and warden, and the guns of the "trusty" prisoner-guards — a body of American song unmatched in its depth, dignity, and power. Folklorist and prison documentarian Bruce Jackson once said that the group work songs sung by the black inmates of the Southern penitentiary farms were means of "making it in Hell." Alan Lomax, writing in 1947, said that: "In the pen itself, we saw that the songs, quite literally kept the men alive and normal.... These songs, coming out of the filthy darkness of the pen, touched with exquisite musicality, are a testimony to the love of truth and beauty which is a universal human trait." In this episode, spurred by the ongoing horrors being reported in the Mississippi Department of Corrections in general and at Parchman in particular, we listen back over the four decades of recordings made by the four white folklorists (the Lomaxes, Herbert Halpert, and William Ferris) who took the trouble to visit the place and document the singing of its prisoners: work songs for clearing ground, felling trees, picking cotton, or breaking rocks, as well as solo field hollers, spirituals, and blues.No one can mourn the passing of this song tradition and the system of black disenfranchisement and white supremacy that made it necessary to its singers. But, despite the 1971 class-auction lawsuit that forced federal reorganization of Parchman due to its epidemic use of "cruel and unusual punishment," it's only differently awful in 2020. In his harrowing "Worse Than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice," Michael Oshinsky provides a 1975 quote from a convict named Horace Carter, who'd been at Parchman for fifty years. What was missing in the “new” Parchman, Mr. Carter said, was “the feeling that work counted for something… awful bad as it was in most camps, that kept us tired and kept us together and made me feel better. I'm not looking to go backwards. I know the troubles at old Parchman better than any man alive. I'm 73 years old. But I look around today and see a place that makes me sad.” This episode was completed before the announcement that William Barr's Justice Department will open a civil rights investigation into conditions at Parchman. It's hard to imagine an administration with less sympathy for incarcerated people of color, but who knows, maybe, at last, Parchman Farm will be shuttered for good. “These songs are a vivid reminder of a system of social control and forced labor that has endured in the South for centuries, and I do not believe that the pattern of Southern life can be fundamentally reshaped until what lies behind these roaring, ironic choruses is understood.” —Alan Lomax, 1958For streaming audio of all of Alan Lomax's 1947, 1948, and 1959 Parchman Farm recordings, visit archive.culturalequity.org.PLAYLIST:[Bed music:] Unidentified ensemble, including Lonnie Robertson, guitar, and possibly "Black Eagle," cornet. Camp 1, April 1936. *Frank Devine and unidentified man: In the Bye and Bye. Unidentified camp, August 1933. *Bowlegs (real name unknown): Drink My Morning Tea. Camp 12, August 1933. *Unidentified men: He Never Said A Mumblin' Word. Unidentified camp, August 1933. *M.B. Barnes, Louella Dade, Passion Buckner, Alberta Turner, Bertha Riley, Lily Mallard, Christine Shannon, and Josephine Douglas: Oh Freedom. Women's camp, April 1936.*Big Charlie Butler: Diamond Joe. Unidentified camp, March 1937.[Bed music:] John Dudley: Cool Drink of Water Blues. Dairy camp, October 1959. *Mattie May Thomas: Workhouse Blues. Women's camp, May 1939.*"22" (Benny Will Richardson) and group: It Makes A Long Time Man Feel Bad. Camp B, November or December 1947. *Ervin Webb and group: I'm Goin' Home. Dairy camp, October 1959. *Johnny Lee Moore, Henry Mason, Ed Lewis and James Carter: Tom Devil. Camp B, October 1959.[Bed music:] James Carter and group: Poor Lazarus. Camp B, October 1959. *Unidentified prisoners: Water Boy Drowned In the Mobile Bay. Unidentified camp, August 1968. *Heuston Earms: Ain't Been Able to Get Home No More / interview. Camp B, October 1959.
Brutality and inhumanity were central to the Southern state prison farms, in their theory and their practice, and of them all, the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman Farm was the most brutal and inhuman. Both John A. and Alan Lomax made repeated visits to Parchman, recording — under the eye of the disinterested white captains, sergeants, and warden, and the guns of the "trusty" prisoner-guards — a body of American song unmatched in its depth, dignity, and power. Folklorist and prison documentarian Bruce Jackson once said that the group work songs sung by the black inmates of the Southern penitentiary farms were means of "making it in Hell." Alan Lomax, writing in 1947, said that: "In the pen itself, we saw that the songs, quite literally kept the men alive and normal.... These songs, coming out of the filthy darkness of the pen, touched with exquisite musicality, are a testimony to the love of truth and beauty which is a universal human trait." In this episode, spurred by the ongoing horrors being reported in the Mississippi Department of Corrections in general and at Parchman in particular, we listen back over the four decades of recordings made by the four white folklorists (the Lomaxes, Herbert Halpert, and William Ferris) who took the trouble to visit the place and document the singing of its prisoners: work songs for clearing ground, felling trees, picking cotton, or breaking rocks, as well as solo field hollers, spirituals, and blues.No one can mourn the passing of this song tradition and the system of black disenfranchisement and white supremacy that made it necessary to its singers. But, despite the 1971 class-auction lawsuit that forced federal reorganization of Parchman due to its epidemic use of "cruel and unusual punishment," it's only differently awful in 2020. In his harrowing "Worse Than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice," Michael Oshinsky provides a 1975 quote from a convict named Horace Carter, who’d been at Parchman for fifty years. What was missing in the “new” Parchman, Mr. Carter said, was “the feeling that work counted for something… awful bad as it was in most camps, that kept us tired and kept us together and made me feel better. I’m not looking to go backwards. I know the troubles at old Parchman better than any man alive. I’m 73 years old. But I look around today and see a place that makes me sad.” This episode was completed before the announcement that William Barr's Justice Department will open a civil rights investigation into conditions at Parchman. It's hard to imagine an administration with less sympathy for incarcerated people of color, but who knows, maybe, at last, Parchman Farm will be shuttered for good. “These songs are a vivid reminder of a system of social control and forced labor that has endured in the South for centuries, and I do not believe that the pattern of Southern life can be fundamentally reshaped until what lies behind these roaring, ironic choruses is understood.” —Alan Lomax, 1958For streaming audio of all of Alan Lomax's 1947, 1948, and 1959 Parchman Farm recordings, visit research.culturalequity.org. PLAYLIST:[Bed music:] Unidentified ensemble, including Lonnie Robertson, guitar, and possibly "Black Eagle," cornet. Camp 1, April 1936. *Frank Devine and unidentified man: In the Bye and Bye. Unidentified camp, August 1933. *Bowlegs (real name unknown): Drink My Morning Tea. Camp 12, August 1933. *Unidentified men: He Never Said A Mumblin' Word. Unidentified camp, August 1933. *M.B. Barnes, Louella Dade, Passion Buckner, Alberta Turner, Bertha Riley, Lily Mallard, Christine Shannon, and Josephine Douglas: Oh Freedom. Women's camp, April 1936.*Big Charlie Butler: Diamond Joe. Unidentified camp, March 1937. [Bed music:] John Dudley: Cool Drink of Water Blues. Dairy camp, October 1959. *Mattie May Thomas: Workhouse Blues. Women's camp, May 1939.*"22" (Benny Will Richardson) and group: It Makes A Long Time Man Feel Bad. Camp B, November or December 1947. *Ervin Webb and group: I'm Goin' Home. Dairy camp, October 1959. *Johnny Lee Moore, Henry Mason, Ed Lewis and James Carter: Tom Devil. Camp B, October 1959.[Bed music:] James Carter and group: Poor Lazarus. Camp B, October 1959. *Unidentified prisoners: Water Boy Drowned In the Mobile Bay. Unidentified camp, August 1968. *Heuston Earms: Ain't Been Able to Get Home No More / interview. Camp B, October 1959.
Inmates at the Mississippi State Penitentiary are living in horrendous conditions. No electricity, no running water, no heat, and sleeping on the concrete floor. To make matters worse, violence has erupted. How did the conditions get so bad? Who is responsible? What is being done to fix the situation? How can I help? In this episode, Mississippi House of Representatives member Rickey Thompson and Ashley Lukens Vice-President of the prison advocacy group, Mississippi Dreams Prisoner Family Support, answer all of these questions and more. Host: John McGee Twitter: @11_mcgee Special thanks to the following: Ashley Lukens, Amanda Hamilton, and Mississippi Dreams Prisoner Family Support Rep. Rickey Thompson Rep. Cheikh Taylor The New York Times Jackson Free Press The Clarion-Ledger ProPublica
Severe weather is anticipated across the Magnolia State this weekend. We have the details about what to expect. Then, new state officers are sworn in, and the house passes its first bill of the session.And, the 2020 senate race is set. We hear from the candidates.Plus, more on prison reform.Segment 1:An outbreak of severe weather is expected Saturday morning as an intense line of severe thunderstorms moves through the area. We welcome the National Weather Service in Jackson to tell us more.Seven of Mississippi's eight statewide office holders have been officially sworn-in. Among them, Lynn Fitch, the first woman to serve as Attorney General. Secretary of State Michael Watson and Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann were also among the seven Republicans beginning their terms in state office yesterday.The Mississippi House has voted to pay the full cost for this year's teacher pay raise. The $1,500-per-person raise was approved during the 2019 session. But, officials later discovered a bureaucratic error that resulted in too few teachers being counted as the state budget was written. The error meant that too little money was initially set aside for the budget year that started July 1. Rep. Richard Bennett from Harrison County led the floor debate. House Bill 1 will cover the shortfall of more than $18 million. The measure now moves to the Senate where it is expected to pass. Segment 2:When Mississippians head to to polls in November, they will see some familiar names on the ballot. Republican Cindy Hyde Smith will once again face Democrat challenger Mike Espy for a place in the U.S. Senate. Hyde Smith filed for re-election last week. During her filing ceremony, she touted the appointment of conservative judges among the list of accomplishments she is most proud of during her abbreviated term. When asked about impeachment, the Republican told MPB's Desare Frazier that fairness is what is needed most.Attorney Mike Espy filed his election papers this week. He tells our MPB's Kobee Vance that his campaign learned a lot from the last race and that his team is ready to narrow the gap.Segment 3:Mississippi's prison system is transferring 375 inmates to a private prison after recent eruptions of violence. The state corrections commissioner says the prison system doesn't have enough guards to safely keep the inmate in state custody. The state signed a contract with private prison operator CoreCivic of Nashville. The inmates are being shifted for at least 90 days from the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, where three people died and others were injured in violence last week. J. Robertson is with Empower Mississippi. He tells our Michael Guidry that the first step to reforming the system is addressing sentencing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The 2020 legislative session begins today. We take a look at what members of the House hope to accomplish this year.Then, a special report on the prison crisis.And, among the twenty five new members of the state house being sworn in, seven are women. We speak with two of them.Segment 1:Today marks the start of the 2020 Mississippi Legislative session with newly elected lawmakers joining those returning for the new four year term. In-coming governor Republican Tate Reeves says he'll be working with the legislature on issues that include workforce development and education.Phillip Gunn is returning to Capitol Hill with a number of goals in mind for the session as well as the four year term. Chris Bell of Hinds County is also returning to Capitol Hill. The second-term Democrat emphasizes that teacher pay raises and infrastructure are his top priorities. Both men talk with our Desare Frazier.Segment 2:Families of prisoners in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman say they are worried about their loved ones after a recent string of fatal fights among inmates. As MPB's Ashley Norwood reports, state prison systems remain on lock down.Segment 3:Twenty five new legislators will join the State House of Representatives this term. Six of those new members are women. Zakiya Summers is a Democrat representing House District 68 which includes West Jackson, South Jackson, Byram and Terry. She tells MPB's Ashley Norwood what compelled her to run for office. Dana Underwood McClain chose to run partly due to her concerns regarding Mississippi's educational system. The Republican from Columbus also believes the law-making body needs the perspective she and her other female members brings. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Sara and Misasha bring you the second part of their Criminal Justice series and another big issue affecting the 2020 Presidential election. This episode focuses on the juvenile. Pause for a moment and think about someone you know that’s a juvenile. Maybe you think of your kid, or maybe you think of yourself at 13. What were you like? Did you ever make any poor choices? Listen in for a shocking history lesson and find out how old laws are impacting our children in the court system even today. Show Highlights: Being 13 is a difficult age. You often think you know everything, how to do everything, hormones are raging, you encounter peer pressure. What you don’t understand when you’re 13 is the consequences of your actions. There’s a reason why car rental companies do not rent to those under the age of 25. Your brain does not fully develop until you’re 25. Misasha reads from an article regarding Jim Crow era laws resulting in a high rate of black kids being charged as adults in the State of Mississippi and shares her worst fears. She shares a story of a young teenager named Isaiah and his experience in the adult court system. In the last 25 years, nearly 5,000 Mississippi children have been charged as adults. Three out of every four are black. “Convict leasing”, where the State loaned out its prison population to work on plantations and build railroads, became popular after slavery but was outlawed at the end of the Civil War. In the late 1880’s state laws made no distinction between punishing children and punishing adults. By 1880, children and adolescents made up about one quarter of the prison population. As a result of national pressure, the State of Mississippi ended convict leasing in 1890, but it gave way to the notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary, better known as Parchman Farm. Even the youngest inmates at Parchman picked cotton and cultivated other cash crops for the state’s profits while incurring lashings from “Black Annie”, the name given to a thick leather strap. By the time the state got around to making separate jails for kids in 1916, the Governor was a well-known klansman by the name of Theodore Bilbo. Bilbo created so-called “training schools,” where the state could jail kids charged with breaking the law, homeless kids, abandoned kids, and even kids the courts thought might one day be criminals. More than two decades later, the 1940 Legislature created a separate court system for kids and at the same time permitted children as young as 14 to face criminal charges in adult court. Lawmakers wanted to take it even further. In 1942, the all-white body wrote a bill to permit children of any age to face criminal charges in adult court. But then-Governor Paul Johnson, Sr., vetoed this bill, arguing that the law was redundant. He already had approved $60,000 – nearly $1 million by today’s standards – to fund a “negro reformatory at Oakley State Farm.” This basically meant that there was no need to criminally prosecute younger kids when the state had a new plan in place to send black kids to Oakley. Laws passed in 1946 permitted kids as young as 13 to face criminal prosecution as adults. Their legacy remains seven decades later in the form of “original jurisdiction” laws. They are not unique to Mississippi: Twenty-six states automatically put children into the adult system at the moment of arrest for certain charges. Sara shares the impact on your brain of time spent in isolation, and the states that still allow solitary confinement as a disciplinary measure for juveniles: Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Texas, and Wyoming. Solitary confinement of juveniles is prohibited under the Federal Bureau of Prisons. There is no evidence that solitary confinement improves behavior. There is, however, a lot of evidence that shows that it is harmful to children. There are approximately 67,000 prisoners placed in these conditions in the United States and Canada at any given time. Of the kids charged as adults who have gone before a Mississippi judge in the last quarter-century, nearly 75% are black. While boys make up most of the system, the racial disparity among Mississippi girls in the system also is stunning: 60% are black. White kids are over twice as likely to get a plea bargain that’s known as a “non-adjudication of guilt.” The laws need to change, and we should reflect on what the President can do, what Congress needs to do, and how the court systems can address these issues. NEXT WEEK: Sara and Misasha share their thoughts on key issues relating to the criminal justice system surrounding the 2020 election. Resources / Links: PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW US! Dear White Women Podcast GET ON OUR INSIDER’S LIST! Sign up for our weekly emails! Dear White Women Website Email: hello@dearwhitewomen.com Please Give Us a Like on Facebook! Instagram Follow Us! Twitter Follow Us! Suggested Reading Worse than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice by David M. Oshinsky Before We Were Yours: A Novel by Lisa Wingate
Author, Chris Roy has been incarcerated for 20 years, since he was 18. He’s on High Risk for 2 escapes, serving a life sentence in maximum security at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. Chris has written 8 books and has several short stories published online. He’s a published tattoo artist in Rise Tattoo Magazine & ATC Tattoo Books and teaches boxing to knuckleheads in his spare time. To learn more about Chris Roy and his work, find him on Twitter @ChrisRoyCrime.
This one is a bit out of the norm for my typical interviewee. However, I think you will enjoy the conversation. This is not intended to be an evangelical proselytizing, but the subject matter is Christian in its origins. I’ve known Robert for a little more than a year now and have grown more and more enamored with his ability to inspire his congregation every week. After having lunch one afternoon with my wife, it occurred to me that the amount of creative energy required to deliver with that much punch weekly must be researched. Not to mention he gave me the best headshot ever. The Reverend Robert Wetherington has been working in ordained ministry for over ten years. He is currently serving as the rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in El Dorado, Arkansas, and has served as Missioner for the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi and as chaplain to The Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, MS. Other work includes serving as rector at The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi, MS, and as the convocational dean for the coast convocation of Episcopal Churches along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He has been an Executive Director at Camp Mitchell Episcopal Camp and Retreat Center in the Diocese of Arkansas and has served on several committees and councils. Father Robert is married to the Rev. Betsy Baumgarten, who has served as an Episcopal priest in many and various capacities, including her current role as Ministry Coordinator for South Arkansas. They have two children, five dogs, and one cat. They share a passion for the outdoors and a variety of hobbies and interests. Within the chaos that fills their days, they find abiding joy in life.
What is Parchman Farm? How did the state of Mississippi get into the business of sharecropping? Explore these questions in Bukka White's "Parchman Farm Blues."
Judith Wright was born in 1939 and is an artist living in Gloucester, Massachusetts. She became a Freedom Rider and was jailed in the Mississippi State Penitentiary in 1961. Later, in 1964, she spent a year in Meridian, Mississippi working with her husband Sib in the Civil Rights Movement. Acts of Resistance; A Freedom Rider […]
Topical, protest, and resistance songs from Kentucky, Virginia, Arkansas, Trinidad by way of New York City, Oklahoma by way of California, and the Mississippi State Penitentiary, better known as Parchman Farm.1. Sarah Ogan Gunning: I Hate the Capitalist System. NYC, November 1937. 2. Hobart Smith: Peg and Awl. Bluefield, Virginia, August 1959. 3. Big Bill Broonzy: Black, Brown and White Blues. Decca Studios, NYC, March 1947. 4. Lord Invader: Yankee Dollar. Town Hall, NYC, December 1947. 5. Woody Guthrie: Dust Bowl Refugees. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., March 1940. 6. Nimrod Workman: 42 Years. Mascot, Tennessee, July 1983. 7. Floyd Batts: Dangerous Blues. Parchman Farm Camp 11, Parchman, Mississippi, September 1959. 8. M.B. Barnes & prisoners: Oh Freedom. Parchman Farm Women's Camp, April 1936.
Topical, protest, and resistance songs from Kentucky, Virginia, Arkansas, Trinidad by way of New York City, Oklahoma by way of California, and the Mississippi State Penitentiary, better known as Parchman Farm. 1. Sarah Ogan Gunning: I Hate the Capitalist System. NYC, November 1937. 2. Hobart Smith: Peg and Awl. Bluefield, Virginia, August 1959. 3. Big Bill Broonzy: Black, Brown and White Blues. Decca Studios, NYC, March 1947. 4. Lord Invader: Yankee Dollar. Town Hall, NYC, December 1947. 5. Woody Guthrie: Dust Bowl Refugees. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., March 1940. 6. Nimrod Workman: 42 Years. Mascot, Tennessee, July 1983. 7. Floyd Batts: Dangerous Blues. Parchman Farm Camp 11, Parchman, Mississippi, September 1959. 8. M.B. Barnes & prisoners: Oh Freedom. Parchman Farm Women's Camp, April 1936.
Hal Hartley and Justin Kawashima - "Trust (closing)" - Possible Music - From the Films (etc) of Hal Hartley Phone caller - "The great discussion, part 1" Benny Will Richardson & unidentified prisoners - "It Makes A Long Time Man Feel Bad" - Parchman 12/47 [These recordings were made in late 1947 at the Lambert Camp at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, better known as Parchman Farm. Some were originally issued by Tradition on a 1958 LP entitled "Negro Prison Songs" and they are currently available on CD in two volumes - "Prison Songs" - as part of the Alan Lomax Collection on Rounder Records.] Benny Will Richardson & unidentified prisoners - "It Makes A Long Time Man Feel Bad" - Parchman 12/47 Ken's Last Ever Radio Extravaganza - "What Is It About?" - What Is It About?: 2/3/04, show #292 [Llewellyn ap Gruffydd, Cambodian field recording, callers.] Ken's Last Ever Radio Extravaganza - "What Is It About?" - What Is It About?: 2/3/04, show #292 American Standards - "My Bathroom Is a Private Kind of Place" - Bathrooms Are Coming!! The Brothers Johnson - "Strawberry Letter #23" Guest mic - "Commercialism" Phone caller - "Whistles" Phone caller - "The great discussion, part 2" Phone caller - "Drummer" The Magnetic Fields - "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend" - i Matrna Zubova - "Lampa Kuukna Bi (Dance Of The Maiden, Lampa)" - Kalmyk 8/64 [Dubbed recording by Alan Lomax from Radio Moscow archives. Lampa is the name of the girl.] Phone caller - "Ticket re-gifter" Phone caller - "Ticket re-gifter, on absurdity" Phone caller - "Singing" Van Morrison - "Tupelo Honey" - Still On Top (CD 2) Van Morrison - "Tupelo Honey" - Still On Top (CD 2) Ken's Last Ever Radio Extravaganza - "Tired of hitting butterflies (Reminders to do less)" - Tired of hitting butterflies: 7/31/13, show #465 [Sample listing and audio: https://lastever.org/show/130731] Phone caller - "Blooping" Ken's Last Ever Radio Extravaganza - "Tired of hitting butterflies (Reminders to do less)" - Tired of hitting butterflies: 7/31/13, show #465 Phone caller - "Last day with crazy soil scientist, last summer show" Nine Inch Nails - "Hurt" - The Downward Spiral (instrumental) Alan Watts - "The Silent Mind" Alan Watts - "Limits of Language" Pinback - "Anti-Hu" - Penelope EP Pinback - "Anti-Hu" - Penelope EP Phone caller - "The great discussion, part 3" Alan Watts - "Purpose (Now)" - Teaching Meditation https://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/52030
Hal Hartley and Justin Kawashima - "Trust (closing)" - Possible Music - From the Films (etc) of Hal Hartley Phone caller - "The great discussion, part 1" Benny Will Richardson & unidentified prisoners - "It Makes A Long Time Man Feel Bad" - Parchman 12/47 [These recordings were made in late 1947 at the Lambert Camp at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, better known as Parchman Farm. Some were originally issued by Tradition on a 1958 LP entitled "Negro Prison Songs" and they are currently available on CD in two volumes - "Prison Songs" - as part of the Alan Lomax Collection on Rounder Records.] Benny Will Richardson & unidentified prisoners - "It Makes A Long Time Man Feel Bad" - Parchman 12/47 Ken's Last Ever Radio Extravaganza - "What Is It About?" - What Is It About?: 2/3/04, show #292 [Llewellyn ap Gruffydd, Cambodian field recording, callers.] Ken's Last Ever Radio Extravaganza - "What Is It About?" - What Is It About?: 2/3/04, show #292 American Standards - "My Bathroom Is a Private Kind of Place" - Bathrooms Are Coming!! The Brothers Johnson - "Strawberry Letter #23" Guest mic - "Commercialism" Phone caller - "Whistles" Phone caller - "The great discussion, part 2" Phone caller - "Drummer" The Magnetic Fields - "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend" - i Matrna Zubova - "Lampa Kuukna Bi (Dance Of The Maiden, Lampa)" - Kalmyk 8/64 [Dubbed recording by Alan Lomax from Radio Moscow archives. Lampa is the name of the girl.] Phone caller - "Ticket re-gifter" Phone caller - "Ticket re-gifter, on absurdity" Phone caller - "Singing" Van Morrison - "Tupelo Honey" - Still On Top (CD 2) Van Morrison - "Tupelo Honey" - Still On Top (CD 2) Ken's Last Ever Radio Extravaganza - "Tired of hitting butterflies (Reminders to do less)" - Tired of hitting butterflies: 7/31/13, show #465 [Sample listing and audio: http://lastever.org/show/130731] Phone caller - "Blooping" Ken's Last Ever Radio Extravaganza - "Tired of hitting butterflies (Reminders to do less)" - Tired of hitting butterflies: 7/31/13, show #465 Phone caller - "Last day with crazy soil scientist, last summer show" Nine Inch Nails - "Hurt" - The Downward Spiral (instrumental) Alan Watts - "The Silent Mind" Alan Watts - "Limits of Language" Pinback - "Anti-Hu" - Penelope EP Pinback - "Anti-Hu" - Penelope EP Phone caller - "The great discussion, part 3" Alan Watts - "Purpose (Now)" - Teaching Meditation http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/52030