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

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — After men near Mississippi’s capital were buried in a pauper’s cemetery without their relatives’ knowledge, the U.S. Justice Department will help the city’s police revamp policies for performing next-of-kin death notifications.

The intervention follows the discovery that seven men were buried in unmarked graves without their families’ knowledge. At least three of those men were Black. In Jackson, 80% of the population is Black. Federal officials are stepping in to ensure the notification procedures employed by the Jackson Police Department and Hinds County Coroner’s Office comply with civil rights laws, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced Thursday.

“Families want and deserve transparency and the opportunity to make decisions about their loved ones’ burials,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who leads the division. “Through technical assistance, we aim to ensure that officials are able to deliver death notifications and make decisions regarding burials in a timely and trauma-informed way that complies with federal civil rights law.”

The Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi will examine the Jackson Police Department’s policies on death notifications and provide recommendations for training and improvements. The federal agencies will also recommend practices for locating next-of-kin to the Hinds County Coroner’s Office.

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