Outright disregard for human life; 215 bodies buried in unmarked graves behind a jail in Jackson, Mississippi

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“It was just horrible for me. And every day I wake up, I just want — I just look, look, look, just looking for him, just out in the streets looking for him. And, I mean, that’s heartbreaking for a mother, and can’t say hello, don’t know how to get in touch with him. That is a horrible thing for a mother.” Bettersten Wade

The prison system is a complex and multifaceted institution that has been widely criticized for various flaws. They are overcrowded, have poor living conditions, increased violence, and inadequate access to essential services. Harsh conditions can exacerbate mental health issues, making it more challenging for inmates to reintegrate into society.

Now remember, what we have been fed over the years is that the primary goal of the prison system should ideally be rehabilitation, but in many cases, they have failed to effectively rehabilitate inmates. Limited access to educational programs, vocational training, and mental health services hinders an incarcerated individual’s ability to reintegrate into society successfully.

The high rate at which released prisoners reoffend, known as recidivism, suggests that the current system is not adequately addressing the root causes of criminal behavior, or providing sufficient support for individuals to reintegrate into society successfully. What I cannot forget to mention is that there are disparities in the criminal justice system, with minority and low-income populations disproportionately represented. This raises concerns about systemic racism and economic inequality in the enforcement of laws and sentencing.

Last week, a jail in Jackson, Mississippi brought to surface another injustice that is happening in the prison industrial complex, the hiding and disrespectful burying of prisoner bodies.

The discovery of 215 bodies buried in unmarked graves behind a jail outside of Jackson, Mississippi, has left a community in disbelief. The families are angry they were never notified of the deaths and how their loved ones are buried in graves marked by just a metal rod and a number.

Families of people who were buried in a pauper’s field next to the Hinds County Penal Farm near Jackson, Mississippi are calling for a federal investigation into the burials, which took place without families being notified. The families’ attorneys now say the field holds hundreds more graves, and the families want a full accounting of the bodies buried there.

The issue became national news last fall, when several families said they had waited months to hear about a missing loved one — only to learn their relative had died months earlier, and were buried in a grassy field, their graves marked only by a metal tag bearing a number.

Activist Arthur Reed is working alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump to shed light on the lack of transparency, respect, and humanity in handling the deceased. Mr. Reed said the burial site in Jackson, Mississippi is filled with buzzards, scavengers, and a disturbing stench as bodies were placed in shadowed graves without embalming. Many of the deceased loved ones believed the victims were missing until they were notified last month. It was noted that the issue extends beyond race as both white and Black individuals were discovered in the unmarked graves.

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump says he believes many more people were buried under similar circumstances.

“We know, based on the records from the coroner’s office, in the last eight years, we can identify 215 individuals that were buried behind that jail, and their families have not been notified,” Crump told PBS NewsHour last week.

When Dexter Wade’s family (Bettersten Wade, is the mother mentioned in the commencement of the article) finally recovered his body, their attorney said that an independent examination found that the jeans he was buried in held a wallet, which contained his state ID, a credit card, and other identifying information.

“The fact that Dexter had a state identification card, and several other identifying items shows us that there was a concerted effort to keep the truth and manner of his death from his family,” Mr. Crump shared. “There is no excuse, not even incompetence, for not notifying a next of kin of an identified man’s death.”

Discussions around human rights, social justice, and ethical considerations continue to shape the understanding and promotion of respect for human life. This story is an example of the outright disregard for human life.