A memory controller includes a joint source-channel encoder circuit and a joint source-channel decoder circuit. The joint source-channel encoder circuit source encodes received data independent of whether the received data is compressible data, performs error correction coding on the source encoded data, and stores the source encoded data in a memory device. The joint source-channel decoder circuit performs source decoding of the data read from the memory device between iterations of error correction coding of the read data, and outputs the read data to at least one of a buffer memory and a storage device interface. The joint source-channel decoder circuit performs the source decoding of the read data independent of whether the read data is compressed data.