Justice

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Factchecking the Gang Law Bill, Sponsor’s Inconsistencies

"Some of these gangs certainly are (solid criminal enterprises), but it's not clear which ones, and I don't know that they know, either," de Gruy said. Furthermore, the public defender suggested that existing RICO laws already threaten gangs that have sophisticated, material power structures if and when their enterprises cross over into criminal conspiracy.

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Project EJECT Or Not: Mayor Disputes Grant Connection to Federal Strategy

A new federal grant to help the Jackson Police Department purchase new surveillance equipment is not part of the controversial Project EJECT crime strategy, Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba insisted this week.

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Gang Bill Trying to Be a Baby RICO Mob Bill, But Too Wide, Critics Say

The Jackson Free Press recently asked Sen. Brice Wiggins if his push for Senate Bill 2459 is a way for Mississippi to have its own little Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. He looked surprised at the question, but answered yes.

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Autopsy Set for Another Mississippi Inmate Who Dies

Another Mississippi inmate has died in a state prison system that remains under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department.

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New Lawsuit: Mississippi Prison Has 'Abhorrent Conditions'

The Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman is a violent, rat-infested place where inmates live in “abhorrent conditions” and their medical needs are routinely ignored, attorneys say in a new lawsuit filed on behalf of 152 prisoners.

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Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty in Landmark #MeToo Moment

Harvey Weinstein was convicted Monday of rape and sexual assault against two women and was immediately handcuffed and led off to jail, sealing his dizzying fall from powerful Hollywood studio boss to archvillain of the #MeToo movement.

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Five Plead Not Guilty in Welfare Fraud Case in Mississippi

Trial dates have been set for the former head of Mississippi's welfare agency and some of the other people charged with misusing money that was intended to help needy people in the nation's poorest state.

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Trump Ally Roger Stone Sentenced to Over 3 Years in Prison

Trump loyalist and ally Roger Stone was sentenced Thursday to more than three years in federal prison, following an extraordinary move by Attorney General William Barr to back off his Justice Department's original sentencing recommendation.

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The TANF Players

Since the last issue, a huge corruption scandal hit Mississippi with allegations of theft inside a State agency working with prominent Mississippians, Republican donors and former pro wrestlers. Here are the major accused players.

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Another Mississippi Inmate Dies; No Signs of Injuries

A 42-year-old inmate has died in Mississippi, making him at least the 18th prisoner to die in the state's troubled prison system since late December, corrections officials said Sunday.

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Smollett Case Revives Questions on Laquan McDonald, Justice

When a grand jury revived the criminal case against Jussie Smollett, the indictment for many people called to mind two nights on two different streets in the same big city.

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Hearing: Formerly Incarcerated Seeking Employment Need Solutions, 'Ban the Box'

Formerly incarcerated Mississippians who are entering the workforce continue to face obstacles to employment, advocates testified Tuesday at the Mississippi Capitol during a Senate Labor Committee hearing.

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Alleged TANF Fraud Follows Years of Individual Recipient Rejections

The State of Mississippi refusing to distribute money allocated to help the poor is not new. The Jackson Free Press reported in 2017 that the State has winnowed down TANF payments directly to needy Mississippians over the last decade.

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JSU President Bynum Resigns After Bust in Prostitution Sting

William Bynum Jr., the president of Jackson State University, resigned Monday after he was arrested in a prostitution sting in central Mississippi.

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'Sprawling Conspiracy' Ensnares Voucher Beneficiaries, Republican Donors

At least two people who donated significant sums to Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves' campaign allegedly engaged in what the state's top elected official calls a "disgusting abuse of power."