Justice

Lost in a Broken System: Why Detainees Spend Years in Hinds Jails Without Trial

Fifty-eight people in Hinds County Detention Centers by July 2, 2021, had spent more than two years there, documents the Jackson Free Press obtained show.

Analysis: Mississippi Reveals it Has Lethal Injection Drugs

Mississippi has not executed a death row inmate since June 2012, and no executions are currently scheduled. But a new court filing shows that the state Department of Corrections in recent months has acquired drugs to carry out lethal injections.

Governor’s Policing Surge In Jackson May Not Prevent Violence, Address Causes

Parts of Mississippi’s capital city are seeing a “saturation” of state police that Gov. Tate Reeves promises will counter a spike in crime and violence that has worsened since the pandemic began.

‘Saturating’ Jackson, More Drug Operations: Governor Launches 'Capitol Safety Initiative'

In a significant increase to the State of Mississippi policing footprint in the capital city, the Capitol Police will now extend its jurisdiction over the Capitol Complex Improvement District, Gov. Tate Reeves and Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell announced yesterday.

Report: Till Slaying Still Being Investigated 65 Years Later

The Justice Department is continuing its investigation into the killing of Emmett Till, the Black teenager whose slaying 65 years ago in Mississippi sparked outrage and illustrated the brutality of racism in the segregated South.

Misdemeanor Holding Facility Could Open in Jackson in Old Juvenile Detention Center

Holding cells to hold misdemeanor offenders could soon open in Jackson if the council approves the move after an evaluation process.

Rescuing Human Trafficking Victims in Mississippi

The Pearl-based nonprofit Mississippi Center for Violence Prevention announced it was doubling the accommodation space for human trafficking survivors and their children on Thursday, June 24.

Case Files on 1964 Civil Rights Worker Killings Made Public

Never before seen case files, photographs and other records documenting the investigation into the infamous slayings of three civil rights workers in Mississippi are now open to the public for the first time, 57 years after their deaths.

Man Pleads Guilty in Charge Linked to 2019 Immigration Raids

A man who worked as an employee services contractor at a Mississippi poultry processing plant pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge connected to one of the largest workplace immigration raids in the U.S. in the past decade.

Drag Racing and Stopping Traffic: City Adds Vehicle Towing Penalty for First Offense

Anyone who participates in drag racing in the Jackson city limits risks officials towing their vehicle, in addition to possible fines and jail time, a new ordinance indicates.

Mississippi Teen Fatally Shot Hours After Graduation

Kennedy Hobbs was shot three times at a Texaco gas station in Jackson, hours after her graduation ceremony at Murrah High School. She died at the scene just before 11 p.m., Jackson Police Department spokesman Sam Brown said.

Violence in the City: Victims’ Families Seek Closure, Police Respect

Radio silence from local law enforcement is a common and historic complaint the Jackson Free Press has long heard from family members who lose their loved ones to gun violence in Jackson.

Lobbyist, Lawyer Accused of Role in $85M Lumber Ponzi Scheme

Two men were indicted this week by a federal grand jury in Mississippi, accused of taking part in an $85 million Ponzi scheme involving a fictitious lumber company, a prosecutor says.

‘They Murdered My Brother’: Judge Drops Murder Charges Against JPD Officers

Desmond Barney and Lincoln Lampley, two Jackson police officers indicted for 62-year-old George Robinson's death, walked free on Thursday, May 20, after Hinds County Circuit Judge E. Faye Peterson rendered a directed verdict in the case.

Mother Died in Madison County Jail After Pot Arrest, Family Sues for Negligence

Attorney Derek Sells of Cochran Firm accused those who run Madison County Detention Center of being in the practice of ignoring "serious medical conditions of inmates and just leaving them to die.”

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