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Walker Gates. Roosevelt Holliman. Denorris Howell. Gregory Emary. Terrandance Dobbins.

These are the people who senselessly lost their lives amidst deadly violence between Dec. 29 and Jan. 3听while in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections

MDOC failed to keep them safe.

Since December,听have died in the state鈥檚 prisons. 听

These deaths were not unforeseeable. For years, the death rate in Mississippi鈥檚 prison system has been among the highest in the nation. With nearly 20,000 people locked up in its prisons, the state has the third-highest incarceration rate in the country.听

But, because of a lack of funding to sustain its system of mass incarceration, the prisons often operate with only about half the necessary staff. It鈥檚 a recipe for deadly violence the state has yet to seriously address. Despite enacting some reforms that have modestly reduced the prison population, the state has slashed correctional spending by $185 million over the last five years 鈥� and more cuts to the state budget have been recommended.

That鈥檚 why in the wake of the deadly violence in recent weeks, the 人兽性交 urged the U.S. Department of Justice in January to investigate Mississippi鈥檚 prison system. In a听听also signed by U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson and other civil rights advocates, we outlined the state鈥檚 failures, which are likely violations of the Eighth Amendment鈥檚 ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it is launching an investigation into four Mississippi prisons. It was a remarkably swift response by the federal government, which we hope signals the DOJ will do what the Mississippi Department of Corrections has failed to do 鈥� end the violence and ensure humane living conditions.

It鈥檚 also an encouraging sign that the federal government is taking action in the Deep South, where the听听of these prison systems are rooted in slavery and oppression 鈥� vestiges of which persist today. The DOJ鈥檚 announcement in Mississippi comes after it听听Alabama last year because its prisons are beset by 鈥渞ampant violence,鈥� 鈥渦nchecked extortion鈥� and 鈥渟evere and widespread sexual abuse鈥� 鈥� conditions that also likely听听

The DOJ鈥檚 threat against Alabama came after the 人兽性交听听over the widespread neglect of people with medical, mental health and disability needs. A federal judge in that case ruled in June 2017 that听听is 鈥渉orrendously inadequate鈥� due to overcrowding and understaffing. Another order requires the Alabama Department of Corrections to add about 2,000 correctional officers over the next few years. The medical phase of the suit is still pending.

Clearly, as one can see in Mississippi and Alabama, there is far more work ahead to reform the Deep South鈥檚 prisons. A fairer criminal justice system and large reductions in prison populations are imperative. Such reforms won鈥檛 be easy, and they likely won鈥檛 come without more battles in courtrooms and legislatures, but state leaders are increasingly finding they can no longer ignore their broken prison systems and the lives they destroy.

Photo by Rogelio V. Solis/AP Images