The American Civil Liberties Union released a report this morning, showing that Mississippi has the second highest incarceration rate in the country.
The report says "black Mississippians" are three times more likely than whites to go to prison, on drug charges, even though drug use rates across the state are virtually identical for black and whites.
Nsombi Lambright, who is the Mississippi Executive Director of the ACLU, assembled a group of about 25 people on the south steps of the capitol to speak out about the incarceration rate, and the use of confidential informants, especially in drug cases for getting convictions.
"One of our solutions is to make sure any evidence brought by a confidential informant, is corroborated by other evidence" said Lambright. "Right now, just the meer word of a confidential informant, will result in an arrest, and possible conviction, by how much defense, by how many attorneys you are able to afford. "
The report released at the news conference says between 1994 and 2007, Mississippi's prison expenditures grew by 155 per cent because of the rule that prisoners serve 85 per cent of their prison term.
WLBT 3 - Fox 40
