The Justice Department conducted an investigation revealing that a small town in Mississippi, Lexington, imposed over $1.7 million in fines on its residents and unlawfully imprisoned them in a debtor’s prison when they couldn’t pay.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division released a report on Thursday outlining numerous constitutional violations by the 10-member police department in Lexington, a majority-black town with a population of around 1,200. Violations included illegal traffic stops, searches, unconstitutional detention of residents for unpaid fines, and other misconduct such as racial discrimination and sexual harassment by officers. The report highlighted a lack of leadership and oversight leading to rampant law violations by officers.
“Lexington has transformed its jail into the type of debtors’ prisons described in Charles Dickens’ novels from the 1800s,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi Todd Gee during a press conference. “This is happening in Mississippi in 2024.”
The Justice Department initiated an investigation into Lexington in November 2023, following the resignation of the former police chief due to racist remarks and other misconduct. The report highlighted instances of excessive arrests and aggressive debt collection practices leading to residents being jailed for minor infractions.
The report also revealed that Lexington police officers engaged in illegal tactics during arrests, inflated charges, and held individuals in jail without probable cause. The department increased its revenue through fines, leading to a ballooning amount of fines owed by residents.
The investigation found that Lexington police officers targeted individuals for non-criminal behavior, resulting in a high number of arrests compared to the town’s population. The report also highlighted instances of excessive force used during arrests for minor offenses.
Individuals who criticized the actions of the Lexington police faced illegal retaliation, including arrests and prolonged detention without access to legal proceedings. The report detailed incidents where officers arrested individuals for exercising their First Amendment rights.
The findings of the investigation into Lexington are part of a broader pattern of civil rights violations by police departments across the country, as seen in similar probes in Phoenix, Minneapolis, and Louisville.
While major police departments have faced scrutiny for civil rights violations, the case of Lexington stands out as a small town that typically evades such attention. Similar instances of excessive fines and law enforcement abuse have been reported in other small towns, shedding light on systemic issues in law enforcement practices.
The Lexington Police Department declined to provide comments on the report.
