Mississippi Sheriff Allegedly Used Inmates to Staff Mother's Chicken Farm

Bryan Bailey, the Mississippi sheriff whose department was under federal investigation for torturing people, allegedly used inmates from the county jail to staff his mother's commercial chicken farm. According to four former inmates and a former deputy, inmates with special privileges, known as trusties, were repeatedly driven to the farm to perform various tasks on top of their daily work duties for Rankin County.

These former trusties and others who worked on the farm claim that inmates received cash or meals in exchange for their labor. The former deputy, Christian Dedmon, who is currently serving a federal prison sentence, said he had worked on the farm while he was on the clock at the sheriff's department.

Mississippi Today reporters interviewed several former Rankin County sheriff's deputies and 20 former trusties over a six-month period. The trusties who said they had worked on the farm requested anonymity due to fear of retribution. The reporters also reviewed over 1,000 pages of county financial records, as well as text messages Mr. Dedmon sent while working on the farm.