Justice

Jones Drafts Legislation to Protect Abuse Victims

A Mississippi Gulf Coast lawmaker is drafting a bill that will protect domestic-violence victims from being victimized again. Rep. Brandon Jones, D-Pascagoula, vice-chairman of the House Insurance Committee, says his legislation will prevent health-insurance companies from denying victims coverage.

Crime Reports Mixed: Jackson Crime Stats for Oct. 19-25

Major crimes in Jackson last week stayed level with numbers from the previous week, according to a report released today at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting. Officers reported 216 total property crimes and 26 total violent crimes last week.

[Mott] The Cost of Executions

Quitman County, Miss., population 10,500, raised taxes for three years and borrowed $150,000 to provide legal counsel to Robert Simon and Anthony Carr, sentenced to death for the 1990 murders of four family members. A death-penalty case "is almost like lightning striking," county administrator Butch Scipper told The Wall Street Journal in 2002. "It is catastrophic to a small rural county."

Obama to Sign Hate Crime Legislation

In a ceremony today at the White House, President Barack Obama will sign a bill into law that has been in the works for more than a decade. The bill updates the 1968 federal hate crime statutes that currently protects individuals from attack because of their race, religion or ethnicity, adding sexual orientation and disabilities to the list.

[Balko] We're All Felons, Now

Perpetual public fear of crime has turned us all into criminals.

Barbour Appoints Malcolm Harrison to DeLaughter's Old Judge Spot

Verbatim from Gov. Barbour's office this morning:

Jackson, Mississippi – Governor Haley Barbour today announced the appointment of S. Malcolm O. Harrison, of Jackson, as Circuit Court Judge for the Seventh Judicial District, Sub-district 4, serving Hinds County. Harrison will serve the unexpired term of former Judge Bobby DeLaughter, who resigned July 30; the term ends January 3, 2011. "I am very pleased that Malcolm Harrison has accepted this important judicial position," Governor Barbour said. "He brings extensive criminal and civil experience to the Circuit Court bench from his distinguished service as a prosecutor and as a lawyer in private practice. I appreciate his continued dedication to public service as he takes on this new role.

[Balko] Failing His Way to Higher Office

Bumbling Prince George's County, Maryland Sheriff Michael Jackson wants a promotion.

Hinds Supes Go to Executive Session on Detention Center

Hinds County Supervisors considered adopting a memorandum of understanding with a youth justice advocacy organization at a board meeting this morning. The proposed memorandum, which the board discussed in a closed executive session, would establish acceptable staff-to-youth ratios at the Henley-Young Youth Detention Center, mandate exercise time for youth detainees, and limit the center staff's use of restraints and physical force.

Jackson Police Putting Focus on Property Crime

Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance called on Jackson police to concentrate on property crimes in the city, noting at a meeting today that the Jackson Police Department has a "realistic chance" of finishing the year with an overall crime reduction from last year.

[Balko] Scenes From a Crackdown

Police overkill, such as that displayed at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, is becoming more common every day.

Kristen Thigpen

Before accepting her new job with the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Kristen Thigpen didn't personally know anyone who had been a victim of intimate partner abuse. Since she took the job Oct. 1, she's been researching the issue, which has opened her eyes. "I always had a heart for abused women," she says about taking her new job. "I didn't actually know how common the problem really is. I was really shocked. ... It's really breathtaking."

Navy Names Ship After Medgar Evers

The U.S. Navy is naming a ship in honor of Medgar Evers, the civil rights leader who was assassinated outside his Jackson home in 1963. Navy Secretary and former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus is expected to announce the honor when he speaks at a Jackson State University luncheon today.

Farish Street Nightclub to Increase Security

Attorneys for the Birdland Restaurant and Lounge reached an agreement with Jackson city attorneys yesterday to close the Farish Street nightclub for 30 days while addressing security concerns stemming from a recent fatal shooting.

Lessons of Spencer's Death

Awareness has a huge role in making Mississippiand the U.S.a safer place for women. Created in 2006, the Attorney General's Office Domestic Violence Division, works with the entire judicial system to raise awareness of the issues surrounding domestic abuse.

Honoring Heather

It is truly a small world that we live in. I attended high school with Mary Heather Spencer, and even though we ran in different circles, I remember hearing of her as a truly nice person with similar adolescent aspirations on taking over the world.

Ellington