Justice

Hinds Judge Grants Extension in Pardon Case

This afternoon, Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green postponed a hearing on whether to strike down reprieves former Gov. Haley Barbour granted on his final days in office. On Jan. 12 Green issued a temporary restraining order to stop the more than 200 pardons from moving forward and ordered five former inmates who worked in the governor's mansion to show proof they complied a constitutional requirement to file public notice.

Zero Tolerance for Children

Nsombi Lambright, executive director of ACLU Mississippi, doesn't bother going to her son's school anymore for lunch. She tried it as a way to connect with him, offer support for the school and show other students that adults care. But something wasn't right.

Barbour Pardons Helped Many More White People Than Black Ones

I'm sure this will come as a surprise to no one, but it's official: Haley Barbour's last-minute pardons overwhelmingly benefitted whites. A Reuters team, including stringer and JFP political freelancer Robbie Ward, analyzed the race of the criminals on the list and found that although black peoplerepresent more than two-thirds of MIssissippi's prison population, fewer than a third of Barbour's pardonees were black:

HOOD: 156 of Barbour's Pardons Did Not Meet Legal Rules

Attorney General Jim Hood this evening released his latest findings about Gov. Haley Barbour's barrage of last-minute pardons. This is verbatim statement from Hood:

Why He Did it: Barbour Gives Rationale in WaPo

In a Washington Post op-ed published today, Haley Barbour defended clemency pleas he granted in the waning hours of his governorship. He said that the ensuing controversy stemmed from people not knowing the difference between clemency and letting people out of jail.

House Burglaries Plague South Jackson

Read the full report here. (pdf 553 KB)

Rape Victim: Fix the System

A rape victim asked Gov. Haley Barbour why he was allowing her rapist out on furlough. His answer may surprise you. Or maybe not.

[Editor's Note] Rethinking "Tough on Crime"

Gov. Haley Barbour left a lot of people reeling with his recent round of pardons and clemencies. Among the list are vicious, premeditated murderers. It wasn't the first time he's done this--remember that we broke the news of his string of woman-killer pardons in 2008--but this time the state and national media actually paid attention.

Rethinking "Tough on Crime"

Gov. Haley Barbour left a lot of people reeling with his recent round of pardons and clemencies. Among the list are vicious, premeditated murderers. It wasn't the first time he's done this--remember that we broke the news of his string of woman-killer pardons in 2008--but this time the state and national media actually paid attention.

[Barkley] Act on Your Beliefs, Guv

Forgiveness and second chances should be the cornerstones of our criminal-justice and correctional systems in Mississippi.

Pushing Kids Out

Feeding the 'Cradle-to-Prison' Pipeline

Drodriquez Williams watched the news that night about the twin towers at the World Trade Center collapsing Sept. 11, 2001. It shocked the 9-year-old boy. Every time he saw the footage of the collapsing skyscrapers in New York City, he felt the need to do something grow deeper.

MDOC Handbook: No Killers in Guv's Mansion

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood will ask a circuit court judge on Jan. 23 to invalidate the pardons of at least 10 felons whom ex-Gov. Haley Barbour granted clemency before leaving office.

Dems React to Pardongate

Haley Barbour's granting clemency to more than 200 people precipitated so much fallout that there's now fallout to the fallout.

Dems Call for Bi-partisan Pardon Reform, Attack Barbour Apologists

This came last night, verbatim:

JACKSON-Rickey Cole, Executive Director of the Mississippi Democratic Party, praised Democrats in the legislature for their leadership in working to reform Mississippi's pardon process.Cole said, "Long before this media circus began, Democrats in the Mississippi House and Senate have been working to protect Mississippi families and improve our system of justice. This will mark the fourth straight year that Democrats have worked to bring openness and fairness to the pardon process. Republicans have killed these bills in the past. I hope they're finally ready to join together in a bipartisan consensus to do what is right and what the people demand."

Barbour Releases Long Statement: ‘I'm Not Infallable'

Gov. Haley Barbour's office just sent this statement in response to the state and national outcry over his pardons and grants of clemency. It is reprinted here verbatim:

Ellington