Prisoners' Deaths in Local Jails

About the Book

Since 1987, there have been 49 inmate deaths in jails and prisons across the state of Mississippi. No study has been produced or written to explicate why such deaths have occurred in Mississippi's jails. Most of the deaths have been labeled suicide, but further research by the author has led to other explanations that these deaths were not all suicide. Many of the victims were African American, male, young and with no previous history of arrests. Within 24 hours of being incarcerated, many of these pre-trial detainees were found hanged in their jail cells with larynx and muscles missing, tongue cut out and body covered with bruises.

About the Author

Dr. Lisa Nikol Nealy earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from Howard University in 2004 with high honors. She also holds a Associate of Arts degree in Pre-law from Meridian Community College; A Bachelors of Arts Degree in Political Science from Jackson State University (cum laude); A Masters of Arts Degree in Political Science from Jackson State University (summa cum laude); another Masters of Arts Degree in Political Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison (magna cum laude). As a Pfizer Fellow at the National Black Caucus of State Legislators(NBCSL) in Washington DC in 2002, she conducted primary survey research on the attitudes and opinions of Black State Legislators regarding the proliferation of prison industrial complex throughout the U.S. Dr. Nealy advocates the complete abolishment of this slave prison system. Her research was subsequently published by the Caucus in 2002 at www.nbcsl.org. She has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and most recent, two new books entitled, African American Women Voters: Racializing Religiosity, Political Consciousness and Progressive Political Action in U.S. Presidential Elections From 1964 Through 2008(2009) and Methodological Pluralism in Political Science Research(2008). Dr. Nealy's works in progress include "Ghanaian women's levels of empowerment and globilization theory of the political, economic, cultural, and socially restricted spaces these women function within" and "Unjustified police shootings of Black suspects: Black Church Response". She is a native of Meridian, Mississippi and memeber of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.