"Mississippi 'Goon Squad' Officers Sentenced to Prison for Racist Torture of Black Men"

Sentencing hearings for six law enforcement officers in Mississippi revealed a culture of extreme violence within the sheriff's department, where deputies were encouraged to use brutality as a policing tool. Former deputies testified that senior officers directed them to humiliate and torture people suspected of crimes, with younger deputies seeing violence as a means to earn promotions. The officers were sentenced for federal civil rights violations stemming from the torture and sexual assault of two Black men in January 2023, shocking the community with the details of the abuse.