Mississippi capital to revamp how it notifies next of kin about deaths with Justice Department help

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG
Associated Press/Report for America

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department will help police in Mississippi’s capital city to revamp policies for performing next-of-kin death notifications. The announcement Thursday came months after men in and around Jackson were buried in a pauper’s cemetery without their relatives’ knowledge. NBCNews.com reports that seven families learned of a loved one’s death from news reports instead of from officials in Hinds County, Mississippi. At least three of those men were Black. In Jackson, 80% of the population is Black. Federal officials are stepping in to ensure that the notification procedures of the Jackson Police Department and Hinds County Coroner’s Office comply with civil rights laws.