An investigation by the US Department of Justice found that he State of Mississippi allowed the state prisons to devolve into unsafe places where prisoners had a hard time accessing health care, including mental health care, leading to the unwarranted deaths, the Washington Post reports.

At the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, at least 12 prisoners have died by suicide and 10 others were victims of homicide since December 31, 2019, a day when prisoners took control of parts of the prison in a riot, which lasted several weeks.

“We have concluded that the conditions at Parchman are severe, systemic and exacerbated by chronically deficient staffing and supervision, resulting in serious harm and substantial risk to people confined at the prison,” Associate Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who oversees Justice’s civil rights division, said at a news conference also attended by U.S. Attorneys Clay Joyner of Mississippi’s Northern District and Darren J. LaMarca of the Southern District.

Started in February 2020, the investigation found that prison officials at Parchman and at three other state-run prisons relied too heavily on solitary confinement to discipline prisoners, leading to significant mental problems among the population.  Investigators also found officials cut back or eliminated mental health programs in the institutions, leaving many prisoners without adequate medical providers.

The Justice Department found that Mississippi officials systemically violated the prisoners’ rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments (cruel and unusual punishment; due process).