Justice

The Cost of ‘Tough on Crime'

Jackson resident Almona Fleming is a placid woman, prone to introspective stares and thoughtful contemplation during interviews. Her calm demeanor says nothing about the writhing coil of hunger that for years twisted inside her, eating at both her stomach and her family life.

Walthall County: Separate and Still Unequal

The two biggest high schools in Walthall County are only 10 miles apart, but for almost 20 years a student transfer policy allowed the two schools to become symbolically separate, effectively re-segregated public schools. Last week, a federal judge put an end to the county's intra-district transfer policy, confirming that the Department of Justice's 1970 desegregation order is still necessary.

[Balko] Justice Stevens' Mixed Record on Civil Liberties

Many hail retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens as a champion of the accused. Stevens, The New York Times editorial board opined, has a "record of being on the side of fairness and justice."

Bill Minor

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Police Search for Shooting Suspect

The Jackson Police Department is searching for a suspect believed to have shot and killed a man outside the Texaco station on North State Street last Sunday morning.

[Balko] The Police Blackout

Last November along the roadside of Richmond Highway, a major thoroughfare in Fairfax County, Va., a police officer shot and killed David Masters, an unarmed motorist, as he sat in the driver's seat of his car. Masters, who was bipolar, was wanted for allegedly stealing some flowers from a planter. He received a ticket the day before for running a red light and then evading the police officer, though in a slow and not particularly dangerous manner.

City Defends Officer Dismissal

The Jackson Civil Service Commission will decide if the city had the right to dismiss former Jackson Police Officer Kevin Nash after allegations that he used excessive force against a civilian and violated his employment agreement.

Traffic Citations Boost City Revenue

City revenues are slipping, but the Jackson Police Department is making a dent in the budget hole by stepping up traffic citations.

McMillin Talks on Irby ‘Conspiracy'

Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin this week fired back at accusers who say he led a conspiracy to go easy on Karen Irby, whose intoxication and high-speed driving killed two doctors and seriously injured her husband, Stuart, and herself after leaving the Jackson Country Club the evening of Feb. 11, 2009. Police reports show that she crossed five lanes of traffic in her black 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS 500 and hit a Chevrolet Silverado C1500 pick-up truck head-on; it burst into flames, killing Drs. Mark Pogue and Lisa Dedousis.

[Balko] Another Senseless Drug War Death

The Jonathan Ayers story was already outrageous enough. Last September, a North Georgia narcotics task force gunned down Ayers, a 28-year-old Baptist pastor from Lavonia, Ga., in the parking lot of a gas station. Ayers had not been a suspect in any drug investigation. And even today, police acknowledge he was not using or trafficking illicit drugs.

Barbour Signs Tougher Stalking Law

Also: Listen to Rep. Brandon Jones and Sen. David Blount talk about the stalking bill on JFP Radio.

Police Department Saves $295,000

A 20-officer shortfall and decreased overtime in the Jackson Police Department are helping offset a $2.3 million drop in sales tax revenue this year.

Police Foundation Eyeing SafeCity Role

As the watchdog group SafeCity closes today citing financial issues, the police advocacy group Jackson Police Foundation, Inc., is contemplating a more active role in the city.

JPD Probing Irby Crash Investigation

The Jackson Police Department is conducting an internal investigation of one of its own officers' work in reconstructing a Feb. 11, 2009, car crash that took the lives of two Jackson doctors. Karen Irby, wife of Jackson businessman Stuart Irby, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter Friday for her role in the collision. Irby admitted that she had drunk two glasses of wine that night before speeding in her Mercedes-Benz down Old Canton Road, where it collided with a pickup truck carrying Dr. Mark Pogue and Dr. Lisa Dedousis. Stuart Irby was injured in the crash and did not testify in his wife's trial.

[Balko] Progress and Challenges in Mississippi

Last week Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour signed House Bill 1456, which would require anyone conducting autopsies in the state to be certified in forensic pathology by the American Board of Pathology. The bill was a response to an effort last year by the state's coroners to incorporate themselves into independent districts for the purpose of circumventing existing state law when it comes to death investigations. Specifically, several coroners and district attorneys wanted to bring back disgraced medical examiner Steven Hayne to begin performing autopsies for them again.

Ellington