In addition to those deaths and the two on Monday, another inmate was found hanging in his cell Saturday night at Parchman. Write to Josiah Bates at josiah.bates@time.com. The Clarion Ledger has repeatedly asked MDOC how many inmates have been injured and has not received a response. Haygood said the prison's Unit 30 was on fire, but things had calmed down by late afternoon. Update: Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton said Denorris Howell, who died Friday, was not stabbed as she initially reported. He sustained a neck injury. Inmates and their families have contactedmedia including the Clarion Ledger, sending photos and videos and claiming violence is unchecked and smoke from fires has madeit hard to breathe. 2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. MDOC said all state prisons will remain on lockdown until further notice. There is a process to releasing accurate information and that takes time., She also warned against "misinformation" on social media, saying it was "fanning the flames." . Phil Bryant did not respond to a request for comment about the violence. "I guess you have to be affiliated to live," she said. Burton said corrections officials reported Carmen had been irate and throwing feces before his death. The Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) says an altercation between multiple inmates left Timothy Hudspeth, 35, and another inmate with fatal injuries. Parchman, where roughly 3,600 of Mississippis 19,000 inmates are incarcerated, has been the target of intense criticism over its failing infrastructure and recent deaths. On Thursday, two inmates were killed. After the unrest, Mississippi signed an emergency contract to move 375 of those inmates to a private prison nearby. Roosevelt Holliman, 32, was killed in what Burton said was a gang-related riot. Another mother of a Parchman inmate hasn't heard from her son since Thursday and is sick with worry. If you have any questions about the prison or the inmates in the prison, you can call them at 662-745-6611. At least three of the previous deaths were attributed to violence, the DOC said in a tweet. ATLANTA Prison officials in Mississippi said on Tuesday that two inmates were beaten to death at the state penitentiary in Parchman, coming after a burst of . Offers may be subject to change without notice. And it starts with bringing order to Parchman, Reeves said in a statement. Ben Salk, senior staff attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that's nothing new. Former Gov. inmate search victim services. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much found Gabriel Carmen, 31, hanging in his cell, rappers Jay-Z and Yo Gotti last week sought to assist prisoners, it was seeking cells for 625 more prisoners. He's not a very big person so I told him 'Please, son, just stay your distance away from all that. ", Hosemann said he's visited Parchman, including Unit 29, and talked with guards. Dobbins said she's been warned that violence has spread. According to the statement, a person cleaning the hall then alerted two corrections officers at 6:40 p.m. Saturday that the inmate was hanging and the officials immediately ran to check on Carmen. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Mississippi Department of Corrections officials have offered minimal information since locking down the prison system Sunday after an inmate was killed in a South Mississippi prison. 662-745-6611. On Tuesday, Mississippis lone Democratic congressman, Bennie Thompson, joined with the SPLC and ACLU to write to the US justice department, requesting a federal investigation into all Mississippis correctional facilities, which include three state-run and three private prisons. In a statement, she said the understands "the public's right and need to know. Officials are using "all available resources" to address the violence around the state, the statement said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. It was the third death at Parchman since New Year's Day, and the fifth killing at all Mississippi state prisons in less than a week. "That's the first thing we need to do" to address the prison violence problem, he added. Worse than animals, in fact.. The starting salary for a correctional officer trainee is $25,650. She claimed OKelley was not receiving medicine before the rioting started. "Walter Gates, an inmate of Unit 29E at Parchman was stabbed multiple times . 0:00. Inmate Search. Still wearing an electronic ankle bracelet, the former inmate said highway patrol officers eventually stormed his unit and retook it, an event he believed occurred on 3 January. It confirmed the five deaths but did not offer identities of the deceased. You should anticipate that the Senate will also be devoting a lot of time to this issue.". Another mother of a Parchman inmate hasn't heard from her son since Thursday and is sick with worry. Some local officials have described the violence as gang-related, but state officials haven't said what's driving the violence. You know, it's supposed to be a rehabilitation program, you know, not where people lose their lives.". That incident brought a heavy police response, with state troopers, corrections officers and deputies from multiple counties responding. "That's the first thing we need to do"to address the prison violence problem, he added. Among them was Eva Scott, a 47-year-old retail worker. Dobbins said her brother Terrandance Dobbins, who was nicknamed "Boo," had been incarcerated for 22 years, his sister said. It is never a good feeling for a commissioner to receive a call that a life has been lost, especially over senseless acts of violence., From the bench:Judge rules prison safe as violence hits system, Resigning as MDOC commissioner:Pelicia Hall to depart Mississippi's troubled prison system. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital 1:38. Saatva Mattress Review: Our Pick for the Best Overall Bed of 2023, We Found 12 Cute Planters and Flower Pots That Cost Less Than $25, Here's Where to Watch and Stream Marvel's 'Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' Online. I don't want to be on the phone to hear my son dying or my son being stabbed to death.". The coroner said she spoke to the inmate's parents, offering condolences and seeking to answer their questions. ", Prison officials added that open bay housing units are a challenge to manage because not all inmates are secure in single cells. Gabriel Carmen is seen in an undated booking photo. Download this stock image: Death penalty opponents Gary Griffin of Jackson, left, Michael Fender of England, center and Nasser Israel of Jackson, pray for the souls of death row inmate Edwin Hart Turner and the two men he killed during two robberies, Eddie Brooks and Everett Curry, in a parking lot at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, Miss., Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. But the bloodshed has also drawn attention to what lawmakers say are routine constitutional violations, as well as the chronic underfunding of a system that incarcerates people at a rate almost twice the American average. MDOC has not released much information. (WLBT) - Officials with the Mississippi Department of Corrections say there were two homicides in a two-week span at one of the state's prisons. Calls for prison reform in Mississippi after inmate murders and escapes. The second was 26-year-old Gregory Emary, who was killed at Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility in Houston.Roosevelt HollimanCourtesy of MDOC. The inmate had escaped from his cell-block and stabbed Officer Cotton to death with a shank. Roosevelt Holliman, 32, was killed in what Burton said was a gang-related riot. Five Mississippi inmates have been killed in less than a week, including three amid violence at the state Penitentiary at Parchman, where the local coroner says "gangs are at war . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. At the end of 2019, the number of correctional officers, 732, was fewer than half the number of guards five years earlier, according to the Mississippi State Personnel Board. In a statement, she said the understands "the public's right and need to know. She said he died of multiple stab wounds. The cause of death has not yet been determined, pending an autopsy. After the first Parchman death which happened after midnight on New Year's Day Burton was escorted into a unit that remained insecure following a "gang related riot," she wrote in a news release. Mississippi Department of Corrections officials have offered minimal information since locking down the prison system Sunday after an inmate was killed in a South Mississippi prison. Dobbins said MDOC officials have not answered her questions about her brother's death despite multiple messages left with the prison and MDOC central office. All three have been sent to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's office in Pearl. "Contrary to what is being said, we are providing information. Get notifications when new letters or replies are posted! Phone. Cellphones smuggled into the prisons, she said, "have been instrumental in escalating the violence. The 36-year-old is the fifth inmate to be killed by another prisoner since Sunday, and the third at Parchman. "Maintenance had to respond to assist in opening the cell door" to let medical staff in. Este servicio puede tener una cuota de procesamiento de 100%. A spokeswoman for Gov. Candice Dobbins said she had been trying to get her brother transferred to a different prison. He was serving a 17-year sentence for manslaughter inMarshall County. A federal investigation into prison conditions following riots in January 2020 at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman determined the Mississippi Department of . the 47-year-old inmate had spent the day receiving relatives, including one of the sisters whose two children were . It was done by another inmate and 43-year-old Carlos Jack was pronounced dead at the prison hospital shortly after 10 a.m.The attack a happened about an hour before. "People aren't going to work for minimum wage when they live in danger," Jackson told the Clarion Ledger on Friday. According to the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger, Joshua Norman, 26, was found dead in his single-man cell in Unit 29 during a security check at 11:12 a.m. on Sunday, Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton confirmed. The Mississippi Department of Corrections didn't . Pittsburgh woman missing for 31 years found alive in Puerto Rico, NTSB to investigate in-flight turbulence that left 1 passenger dead. They marched up two flights of stairs and stood outside Bryants office but were told by security officers he was not available to meet. At full capacity, Parchman houses 3,560 male inmates, including death row inmates housed in Unit 29. JACKSON, Miss. https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2020/01/03/parchman-riot-fifth-inmate-killed-mississippi-violence-lockdown/2803056001/, Parchman riot: 'Gangs are at war.' Reporter Sarah Fowler contributed to this story. An inmate at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman was stabbed Friday morning. In June 2021, Hilson was charged with violating the inmate's civil . Skinner-Holmes awoke on New Year's Day to the news of the previous night's riot at Parchman, which Burton previously saidlasted for several hours. 2. Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton confirmed an additional death Thursday morning related to a gang fight in Unit 29 at Parchman. State Sen. Sampson Jackson II, D-Preston, chairman of the Senate Corrections Committee, said legislators need to address the low pay of guards, which has contributed to thesevere shortage and led to inmate-to-correctional officer ratios higher than other states and the national average. His death came two days after corrections officers found Gabriel Carmen, 31, hanging in his cell at Parchman, the county coroner said. Correctional Officer Argentra Cotton was stabbed to death by a maximum security inmate in the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi. Statewide lockdown underway as fatal fights continue. A primary focus of the report was Parchmans Unit 29, where some of the most violent criminals are held. The rate of killings in Mississippi prisons over this past week is highly unusual. elee@mdoc.state.ms.us. Follow@AlissaZhuon Twitter. It was ruled a suicide by hanging but the family, who found out about the death through inmates, not authorities, distrusted the coroners ruling. Updated on: January 20, 2020 / 6:12 PM In my professional opinion after viewing the scene, no foul play was involved, Burton said. Burton, who received the call just before noon, declined to identify the inmate pending notification of family. "The people are understaffed and overworked," she said. The number of correctional officers at MDOC has plummeted in recent years, according to a recent report by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting. Download this stock image: Death penalty opponent Sheila O'Flaherty, second from left leads a small group of opponents in prayer for the souls of death row inmate Edwin Hart Turner and the two men he killed during two robberies, Eddie Brooks and Everett Curry, in a parking lot at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, Miss., Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. It will be a long road, but it starts today.. In a single week, five inmates in the Mississippi correctional system were killed, three in Parchman, during violence state officials tied to a bitter gang rivalry that dominates prisons in the state. Hello Charles. Hall previously said the state saved about $40 million since criminal justice legislation passed in 2014 and the incarceration rate went down somewhat. That same day, MDOC officials also sent more than 300 prisoners at Parchman to a private facility in Tutwiler, MS for their safety amid understaffing at the state penitentiary. "A lot of them are in bad health. On Friday evening, he posted about the situation on social media, saying he'd been in contact with prison officials throughout the week. We get no information and no sympathy from Corrections.. Burton, who has served as coroner since 2008, said that in all of 2019, her office responded to four homicides at the prison. Some inside the prison told Skinner-Holmes to check in on her son, who is housed in Unit 29, where much of the violence has centered. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Updated The Associated Press contributed to this report. Any loss of life is tragic and must be addressed. 0:56. victim services home division of victim services office of mississippi savin faqs. Hall said she is going to work in the private sector and will be advocating for criminal justice reform. SMCI had been on lockdown for all of 2019 due to a severe staffing shortage, MDOC officials said. Hall announced she was stepping down earlier in the week as a new administration prepares to take over. Jan. 21, 2020. The state penitentiary remains on high alert in Parchman, Mississippi. All Rights Reserved. View Official Website. Her son said two gangs are fighing each other in the prisons. Official cause of death and manner of death are pending autopsy results.. Hall said in a news release Jan. 13 that even after moving the 375 inmates, the state would have to find different housing for 625 other maximum-security inmates who had been housed at Parchman . Two days later, a 32-year-old inmate in the same unit where Howell was residing was stabbed and killed in a fracas that left multiple prisoners injured. "Ain't no way they can run the prison system with the people they have working there and as many inmates they got.". January 8, 2020: Parchman inmate died at Merit Health Clarksdale. It is pure hell there, he said. Argentra Cotton. Thomas Edwin Loden Jr., 58, became the second inmate executed in the state in 10 years when he was pronounced dead after lethal injection. In early December her nephew Antonio Taylor, 33, was found dead in his cell at Parchman. Gregory Emary, left, and Walter Gates, two of the inmates killed inside prisons in Mississippi this week. By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our. Social worker killed in New Orleans shooting days before 1-year wedding anniversary . Burton said the inmate, whom she declined to identify pending notification of relatives, had multiple stab wounds. He's not a very big person so I told him 'Please, son, just stay your distance away from all that. The troubles began Sunday at South Mississippi Correctional Institution near Leakesville, when inmate Terradance Dobbins, 40, was killed and two others hurt. The lawsuit names three prison inmates who were killed this year at the state penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi. Inmates and their families have contacted media including the Clarion Ledger, sending photos and videos and claiming violence is unchecked and smoke from fires has made it hard to breathe. The prisoners were evacuated and later moved back in, she added. JACKSON, Miss. The MDOC release warned media against reporting allegations about problems in the prison system. My name is Eilon. "It is about to kill me," Tangie Viars said. Legal Statement. "Alot of them are in bad health. The Parchman chaplain has reached out to the next of kin," the organization said . Following rioting earlier this month, it was reopened. The environment that makes such violence possible must be addressed quickly, and we are committed to making changes to do so.. She found the victim stabbed to death. Haynes said her relative is safely locked in his cell for now but fears what would happen if officers move him to another housing unit. . MDOC Commissioner Pelicia Hall stepped down from her position last week shortly after Mississippis new governor, Tate Reeves, took office. In January 1901 the state of Mississippi purchased land in Sunflower County for a prison. Burton said rumors abound and asked for members of the public to refrain from making statements or posting on social media based off hearsay. Two inmates also escaped from Parchman on Jan. 3 and were captured on Jan. 6. "There have been many studies and efforts to stem violence and improve the pay of corrections officers," she said in an email. On Friday, protesters organized by the Mississippi Poor Peoples Campaign entered the state capitol in Jackson. During that same week, two other inmates were killed in separate Mississippi prisons. Gregory Emary, 26, of Hernando, was killed during a disturbance at the Mississippi Department of Correction's Regional Correctional Facility in Chickasaw County, authorities said. If you have to live in a place like that, you just have to fight for your life., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Inmate has been identified as Denorris Howell. From 2014 to 2018, an average of 3.4 inmate deaths were ruled homicides by prison officials each year, state data shows. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The Mississippi department of corrections (MDC) declined to respond to multiple requests for comment and has not provided a public total for the number injured during the unrest. (AP) A man who raped and killed a 16-year-old girl in Mississippi was put to death by lethal injection on Wednesday, becoming the second inmate executed in the state in 10 years. The flurry of killings also brings renewed attention to funding and staffing shortages in the state prison system, where guards are sometimes paid around minimum wage. "Roosevelt Holliman was stabbed to death in a fight the . The Greene County prison can pose particular difficulties to secure because hundreds of prisoners are housed in bunks in one large room, instead of in individual cells. Thomas Edwin Loden Jr . Haley Barbour told the Clarion Ledger a central part of the problem remains a severely overcrowded prison system, and he said it has increased since his time in office. He was serving a five-year sentence at the facility for armed robbery. "I guess you have to be affiliated to live," she said.Elected officials respond. "I haven't slept, haven't eaten (since)," Skinner-Holmes said. The agency announced Thursday that prisons will be remain locked down. None had any formal confirmation from MDOC, despite making calls. The second inmate was not named, pending notification of his family. Tyler, who was serving a life sentence for murder, and other charges, was believed to have been dead for four to six hours when his body was discovered, according to Marshall County Coroner James Anderson, and possibly even longer. We are continuing to be vigilant and mindful of the situation," MDOC Commissioner Pelicia Hall said in a Friday statement. In August 2018, Hall requested the FBI help investigate the deaths of 15 inmates, including three of them at Parchman, in the span of a month. "Grateful to those working to restore order and safety," he wrote on social media. Mississippi pays the lowest salaries for prison staff anywhere in the US. The last time she spoke to her son, who was originally imprisoned on a non-violent drug offense, there was a beating happening next to him, she said. Burton said rumors abound and asked for members of the public to refrain from making statements or posting on social media based off hearsay. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WAPT-TV. Another Mississippi inmate has died at the hands of a fellow inmate this week, authorities said Friday. Following a series of possibly gang-related clashes in the prison that left at least three prisoners dead, rappers Jay-Z and Yo Gotti last week sought to assist prisoners in suing the state in federal court. Some messages contain not just words, but also photos and videos that show bloody stab wounds, black and white-clad prisoners lying motionless on the floor and screenshots of frantic messages sent between inmates and their loved ones on the outside. First published on January 20, 2020 / 12:08 PM. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The current system we have in place is not keeping anybody safe. Going forward, obviously the governor will have to appoint a new head of corrections. Joshua Norman marks the ninth prisoner to die at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Prison, since the year started. Walter Gates, 25, died early Wednesday during a riot at Parchman. James Talley, 36, suffered fatal injuries Monday night during an altercation and was pronounced dead at the prison, the DOC said. More than 30 inmates in Parchman filed a proposed class-action lawsuit in federal court last month claiming the living . I am a Jew living in the Land of Israel. There were fires being set. All rights reserved. On Tuesday at Parchman, 25-year-old inmate Walter Gates was stabbed and several other inmates were injured during a fight. The Clarion Ledger has not received answers to questions. "Really the prisoners run the facilities," Dobbins said. The inmates are the ones that take each others lives, he told reporters. MDOC'sstatementFriday wasits most substantive response yet, but remained light on details. '", Viars said she's sure her son is affiliated with gangs in prison. The facility is located at the following address: PO Box 1057 - Highway 49 West, Parchman, MS, 38738. Sunflower County Medical Examiner and Coroner Heather H. Burton said the fight broke out at Unit 29 at the prison about 9 p.m. Tuesday and spread to other buildings within the unit. Another inmate stabbed in the same incident Friday was taken to a Memphis, Tenn . Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Theresa Holliman calls for change at the Parchman. Inmates killed during Mississippi's prison violence: Who are they? Candice Dobbins is the sister of 40-year-old Terrandance Dobbins, who was the first inmate to die. In addition, most past inmate deaths at Parchman have been deemed due to natural causes. 662-745-6305. Walter Earl Gates, 25, was killed late New Year's Eve in an incident at Parchman that left several others injured. The levels of custody at the Mississippi State Penitentiary encompass minimum security all the way to maximum and death row. (AP) A Mississippi man convicted of killing four young nieces and nephews in a 1990 stabbing rampage was executed Tuesday, despite pleas from his two sisters to spare the brother who killed their children. In interviews with six people who had family or partners inside the facility, three said they had not heard from them since the violence began. Going forward, obviously the governor will have to appoint a new head of corrections. Five inmates died this month in notorious Mississippi prison marked by racism and neglect prisoners and families demand urgent reform, People were begging for their lives as they were stabbed, said Kelly Mallett, as his gaze drifted. Fifth Mississippi prison death reported as violence continuesLuke Ramseth, Alissa Zhu and Lici Beveridge Mississippi Clarion LedgerPublished 5:56 PM EST Jan 4, 2020, Five Mississippi inmates have been killed in less than a week, including three amid violence at the state Penitentiary at Parchman, where the local coroner says "gangs are at war.". On September 26th, Fate Santee Jr. killed Richard Weems. Rappers Jay-Z and Yo Gotti are paying their attorneys fees, the AP also reported. According to the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger, Joshua Norman, 26, was found dead in his single-man cell in Unit 29 during a security check at 11:12 a.m. on Sunday, Sunflower County Coroner Heather . MDOC's statement Friday was its most substantive response yet, but remained light on details. GerondaSue Skinner-Holmes said her son was stabbed in the eye on New Year's Eve during a fight at Parchman. Walter Gates, 25,diedearly Wednesdayduring ariotat Parchman. Market data provided by Factset. Two other injured inmates were transported to hospitals. Harry said she was particularly concerned as her partner is in a wheelchair following back surgery. locked down prisons statewide after an inmate was killed, Violence surges amid guard shortage at Mississippi prison, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The 44-year-old is a former inmate at Mississippis crumbling state penitentiary at Parchman, part of a sprawling, century-old prison farm complex in the north of the state. We reached out to the Governor's office for comment. Burton said the inmate's cellmate was taken to a Memphis hospital to be treated for stab wounds from their fight.Denorris HowellCourtesy of MDOC. Over the last 10 days, five inmates were killed in different Mississippi state prisons. or redistributed. Former state lawmaker Tommy Taylor was appointed as Interim Commissioner. Didnt they. 9:49 AM EST, Wed January 22, 2020. "These are trying times for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. James Talley, 36, was killed, along with Tim The violence is exacerbated because of a staffing shortage, she said. (AP/Mississippi Department of Corrections). Both Jackson and Chassaniol said they were not sure they would again be appointed to the Corrections Committee, and declined to discuss what specific legislation would look like, or how much guard wages should be increased. Investigations into the deaths are ongoing and the cause and manner of death for each inmate are pending an autopsy, the DOC said. According to CNNs count, their deaths bring to seven the number of inmates who have died this year at the facility, known as Parchman prison. Corrections officials say fellow prisoners killed five inmates last week in attacks at Mississippi prisons. And it features as a haunted setting in Jesmyn Ward's National Award-winning 2017 novel "Sing, Unburied . At the end of2019, the number of correctional officers, 732,was fewer than half the number of guards five years earlier, according to the Mississippi State Personnel Board. Emary was killed and two other inmates . It housed hundreds of men. The 36-year-old is the fifth inmate to be killed by another prisoner since Sunday, and the third at Parchman. "Two inmates were killed in Parchman last night. Five inmates were killed and an undisclosed number of others inmates were injured during an outbreak of violence in Mississippi's prison system between Dec. 29 and Jan. 3. He was serving a life sentence for a homicide and eight years for aggravated assault. Several inmates were injured in the disturbance and one . Sen. Lydia Chassaniol, R-Winona, who also serves on the Corrections Committee, agreed guard pay was a central part of the problem. The unit has 1,568 beds and houses some of the system's worst offenders. And Terrandance Dobbins, 40, was killed during a fight Sunday at South Mississippi Correctional Institution in Leakesville. According to the Associated Press, another inmate was found hanging on Saturday night at Parchman. Thirty-four-year-old Bobby Deangelo . A prison source, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to protect themselves from reprisals, claimed that as of Friday there were still many injured inmates at Parchman who had not received treatment. Skinner-Holmes awoke on New Year's Day to the news of the previous night's riot at Parchman, which Burton previously said lasted for several hours. "A lot of them are working two, 12-hour shifts. Occupying about 28 square miles (73 km 2 ) of land, [3] [4] Parchman is the only maximum security prison for men in the state of Mississippi , and is the . By the end of its second year of operation, Parchman earned $185,000 for the state of Mississippi, the modern-day equivalent of roughly $5 million. The rate of killings in Mississippi prisons over this past week is highly unusual. JACKSON, Miss. At one troubled site called Parchman Farm, two violent inmates escape. Chaplains also provide marriage . Former Mississippi Deputy Warden Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Inmate at Parchman Prison. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The starting salary for a correctional officer trainee is $25,650. "There have been many studies and efforts to stem violence and improve the pay of corrections officers," she said in an email. We will make progress, day by day, until we have a system that we can trust. All prisons and jails have Security or Custody levels depending on the inmate's classification, sentence, and criminal history. Skinner-Holmes said she contacted prison officials to try to learn more, but she hasn't gotten much information.