Mississippi State Penitentiary

Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP), also known as Parchman Farm, is the oldest prison and the only maximum security prison for men in the state of Mississippi, USA.

Begun with four stockades in 1901, the Mississippi Department of Corrections facility was constructed largely by state prisoners; it is located on about 28 square miles (73 km²) in unincorporated Sunflower County, in the Mississippi Delta region.

It has beds for 4,840 inmates. Inmates work on the prison farm and in manufacturing workshops. It holds male offenders classified at all custody levels—A and B custody (minimum and medium security) and C and D custody (maximum security). It also houses the male death row-all male offenders sentenced to death in Mississippi are held in MSP's Unit 29-as well as the state execution chamber.

The superintendent of Mississippi State Penitentiary is Earnest Lee. There are 2 wardens, 3 deputy wardens, and 2 associate wardens.

Female prisoners are not usually assigned to MSP; Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, also the location of the female death row, is the only state prison in Mississippi designated as a place for female prisoners.