From The Marshall Project
Family and friends of Mississippi state prisoners were surprised and alarmed by a new policy announced Wednesday that bans all but immediate family members from visiting. According to a memo posted in state facilities, “this excludes ALL friends, pastors girlfriends, fiancés, cousins, nephews, nieces aunts uncles, in-laws and anyone else.”
The policy drew attention on social media when Blake Feldman, advocacy coordinator for criminal justice reform for the Mississippi chapter of the ACLU, tweeted a photo of what looked like a memo from corrections officials announcing the change. It said that only parents, children, siblings, spouses, grandparents and grandchildren would be allowed to visit prisoners. The memo was dated Aug. 31 and said the policy would go into effect the next day.
In a statement, the Mississippi ACLU said: "We have been contacted by family members who would be impacted, we have reviewed the policy, and we have serious concerns regarding its legality. We are considering all options.”
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