Inmates at Mississippi prison were exposed to dangerous chemicals, denied health care, lawsuit says

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG
Associated Press/Report for America

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal lawsuit claims inmates at a Mississippi prison were forced to mix raw cleaning chemicals without protective equipment. A former inmate who filed the lawsuit says she later contracted cancer and was denied timely medical care. Susan Balfour was incarcerated for 33 years at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility until her release in December 2021. She says prisoners were required to clean the facility without protective equipment using chemicals that might cause cancer. Balfour contends in her lawsuit that prison health care providers failed to identify her cancer years ago because they had financial incentives not to perform necessary medical screenings and treatment.