Justice

Mayor Lumumba Unloads On U.S. Attorney Hurst Over ‘Operation Legend’ Strategy

Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba accused United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi Michael Hurst Tuesday of politicizing crime problems in the capital city.

Forgiveness is Freedom: After Veto, Parole Reformers Fight On

Mississippi Sen. Juan Barnett, D-Heidelberg, found that forgiveness heals victims and perpetrators alike. That's what inspired him to push for parole reform in his new position as chairman of the Senate Corrections Committee.

Feds Offer to Help Curb Crime in Mississippi Capital

Mississippi's capital city says it plans to work with the U.S. Department of Justice to help fight crime. Jackson City Council President Aaron Banks says U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst extended an offer to work with local law enforcement to reduce crime.

OPINION: Mayor Lumumba’s Support of Police State, Incarceration Not In Dispute

"Despite many promises and assertions that alternatives to policing are needed, the mayor continues to tout his record of providing JPD with more surveillance gadgets, weaponry, more officers and fleets of new vehicles."

Hinds County Buying Temperature Takers, Changes Edwards Precinct, Improves Detention Centers

Deputy sheriffs at the Hinds County facilities' entrance will soon be able to monitor the temperature of those coming in remotely. On Monday, the board of supervisors approved $22,500 to purchase five facial-recognition temperature scanners.

Crime Expert Decries City Council's Jail-Renting Initiative

Renting jail spaces to hold people accused of misdemeanors is a waste of money and an ethically wrong approach, Urban Peace Institute Senior Consultant on Conflict and Violence Ron Noblet said in an interview with the Jackson Free Press.

$6M to Mississippi Groups to Respond to Domestic Violence

Mississippi organizations will split more than $6 million from the federal government to respond to domestic violence, U.S. attorneys Chad Lamar and Mike Hurst said Thursday.

Policing Mental Illness: The Death of Mario Clark and the Need for Alternatives

One in four killings in police officers' hands involved someone with mental-health issues, the Treatment Advocacy Center, based in Arlington, Va., reports.

Jackson’s Murder Rate May Break Record, U.S. Attorney Touts ‘Operation Legend’

The spike in homicides in Jackson so far in 2020 is raising concern for leaders and may be on track to break the capital city’s all-time record.

After Six Trials and 23 Years, Charges Against Curtis Flowers Finally Dismissed

Twenty-three and a half years after his arrest, and after an unprecedented series of six trials, the prosecution of Curtis Flowers finally came to an end today with the dismissal of the murder charges against him in this case from Winona, Mississippi that has garnered national attention.

Former Mississippi Education Head, Contractors Accused of Fudging Bids, Stealing Funds

A former top official at the Mississippi Department of Education and three contractors who worked with the agency are being accused by the federal government of stealing thousands of dollars from the state of Mississippi by manipulating the bidding process for contracts and inflating costs.

EDITOR'S NOTE: No More ‘Lynching Logic’ to Excuse Brutality Against Black People

"The most common excuse we hear is (Jacob) Blake was wanted for a sexual-assault warrant. So, all of us should be outraged enough to think it was just fine for an officer to shoot the father repeatedly in the back? He did something bad, as far as we know, so anything goes?"

Mississippi Governor: No Plan for Pardon in Life Sentence for Pot

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday that he's not currently thinking about pardoning a woman who is serving a life sentence after she was caught with marijuana during a traffic stop and was sentenced as a habitual offender because of previous convictions.

Hinds County Sheriff Swears in SWAT Team; Violence Expert Urges Caution

Sheriff Lee Vance swore in 33 special weapons and tactics team members today at the grounds of Jackson Police Training Academy. Vance pushed for the expanded SWAT unit to respond to special threat situations.

JSU Professor: Focus Police Reform On ‘Community Policing’—But What Is it?

Transitioning from traditional policing to “community policing” will engender more trust and cooperation between the people and the police, Thomas M. Kersen, Jackson State University associate professor of sociology, told the Jackson Free Press in a phone interview Monday.

Ellington