Justice

Capital Murder Conviction Reversed

The Mississippi Appeals Court has reversed Cory Maye's murder conviction for the Dec. 26, 2001, killing of Ron Jones, a police officer in Prentiss, Miss., a tiny community of 1,000 residents in Jefferson Davis County. The court has remanded the case for a new trial.

[Balko] Absolute Immunity on Trial

Bush's former solicitor general tries to roll back prosecutorial abuse.

JFP Hosts Domestic Abuse Forum at Welty Library

Why do men abuse? Why do women stay? How can the community stop the cycle of domestic abuse in a state that is among the most dangerous for women?

DeLaughter Sentenced to 18 Months

Update: U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson sentenced DeLaughter to 18 months this afternoon.

Jackson Violent Crime Down 10.1 Percent

Major crimes in Jackson decreased again last week, according to statistics released this morning at a Jackson Police Department meeting. Officers reported 154 property crimes, down from 226 the week before, and 32 violent crimes, up slightly from 25 the previous week. For the year to date, violent crime is down 10.1 percent from 2008, while property crimes are up 1.1 percent over last year.

Judges Order Two Off Mississippi Death Row

In separate cases, federal judges have ruled that two Mississippi inmates on death row in Parchman are mentally ill. Both cases stem from 1981 crimes, and the two inmates have each served 27 years.

[Balko] Death of a Watchdog

In an age when journalism has been inflicted not only by ballyhooed budget woes and challenges from new media, but also a glut of dubious trend stories, horserace political coverage and endless navel-gazing about the state of the profession, Pete Shellem merely freed four wrongly convicted people from prison in a period of 10 years with his reporting.

Hood Fights Cyber Crime, Online Predators

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood continued his efforts to combat cyber crime today, unveiling an Internet safety video created in collaboration with Comcast Cable. The video, which will be available to Comcast subscribers and on the attorney general's Web site, is aimed at parents and children.

Protesters Demand Epps Stop Inmate Abuse

Members of the Southeastern Christian Association, Operation Help Civil Rights Group, and Mothers of Inmates protested outside Mississippi Department of Corrections headquarters on President Street in Jackson today, lobbying for fair treatment of sons and husbands who are inmates in MDOC correctional facilities.

Police Search for Suspect in Rash of Auto Burglaries

Jackson's Precinct 4 saw a rash of auto burglaries last week. Violent crime, however, remains down in the city.

Bill Chandler

Bill Chandler, executive director and founder of Jackson-based Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, does not let being 68 stop him from doing good. He is an advocate for immigrant rights throughout the state of Mississippi. For this work, he was named a 2009 Purpose Prize Fellow, an award for entrepreneurs over 60 who use their experience to tackle society's biggest challenges in second careers started in the second half of life.

Shades of Gray

On the evening of Oct. 27, the mayor of McComb, Miss., was in the city's board room, arguing with his city attorney about fractions. The mayor wanted to block a vote to fire the city's accountant.

The Path of Least Drama

Everyone who reads me regularly knows that I despise the question "Why does she stay?" when asked about domestic-abuse victims.

[Balko] Bad Prosecutors, Mississippi and Beyond

Anthony Caravella walked away from a Florida prison last month. He served 26 years for a rape and murder that DNA testing has shown he didn't commit. Caravella was 15 at the time he was arrested and has an IQ of 67. A confession that his attorneys say was beaten out of him by police interrogators played a part in his conviction. Caravella's prosecutor, Robert Carney, has put at least two other people in prison for murder who were later cleared of the crimes. Carney is now a judge in Broward County, though he recently announced he's retiring at the end of this year.

Supreme Court Refuses to Decide Statute of Limitations in Seale Case

Former Klansman James Ford Seale will remain in prison, at least for now. The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to address a question from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to decide whether too much time had passed for the case against Seale to proceed. "While we are disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court chose not to decide the statute of limitations issue now, we look forward to our opportunity to present the issue to the court again when the remaining issues in the appeal have been finally resolved by the 5th Circuit," Seale's attorney Kathryn Nester said.

Ellington