Thousands jailed long periods before trial in Mississippi

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Thousands of people in Mississippi continue to be jailed for long periods while waiting to go on trial because they are too poor to afford bail, judges may deny bail altogether or public defenders might not be available when they’re needed. That’s according to a new report from the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law. It says about 2,700 people have been held longer than 90 days in Mississippi county jails. Of those, more than 1,000 have been jailed at least nine months and about 730 have been jailed more than a year.