William Brangham:

That's right, Amna.

Those deaths were just the tip of the iceberg. From staffing problems to crumbling facilities, Mississippi's correctional system is in a dire situation that puts prisoners and guards at risk.

Jerry Mitchell is the founder of Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, and he's been investigating conditions in Mississippi prisons with a grant from ProPublica. And he joins me now.

Jerry, thank you very much for doing this.

I wonder. In your series, you talk about several different prisons and problems in them, but you really focus on one particular prison in Parchman, Mississippi.

Can you tell us a little bit about what you found there?