Cover
Young Perps: The Costs of Sensationalizing Youth Crime
Jackson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Roderick Holmes Holmes told the Jackson Free Press that the police department's protocol for sending out mugshots to media depends on several factors, including public …
Crime
EDITOR'S NOTE: Media, Cops: Choose Crime Solutions Over Perp Shows
It has never occurred to me to call up the police and ask them to stage a special "perp walk" so I can send someone to photograph someone accused of …
Crime
State Corrections Agency Replacing Military Strategy to Stop Repeat Offenders
Since learning that its traditional, military-style crime-fighting strategy actually increased repeat offenses, the Mississippi Department of Corrections plans to expand a recidivism-reduction program that focuses on cognitive behavioral change, called …
Civil Rights
OPINION: Justice Against Sexual Violence
My middle daughter has always been one of my most outgoing and ambitious children. She was so proud of her uniform and of getting this job all on her own.
Civil Rights
OPINION: A Better World for Harper
Sexual violence in America is as common as apple pie, so when reports of rampant acts of sexual assault and harassment became headline news over the last few months, my …
Crime
Fellow Inmate Convicted for Murder of Choctaw Activist in Neshoba Jail
On Thursday, more than two years after activist Rexdale Henry of the Choctaw tribe of Native Americans turned up dead in a Neshoba County Jail cell, a jury found Justyn …
Business
David Watkins Arrested for Embezzling More than $500,000 in Bonds
Jackson resident W. David Watkins turned himself in to authorities Wednesday night after being indicted on two counts for embezzling bond money intended for a development project he managed, announced …
Domestic Violence
OPINION: Domestic Violence is the Problem
Domestic abusers all over the country gun down family members they blame for their problems every day. They take children and bystanders with them.
Crime
'Judicial Kidnapping’ in Pearl Youth Court?
Youth-court judges in Mississippi preside over all matters involving delinquent juveniles in addition to abused, neglected or abandoned children. Youth-court judges have the power to send children to foster care, …
Domestic Violence
Female Lawmakers Allege Harassment by Colleagues in House
As reports pile up of harassment or worse by men in entertainment, business and the media, one current and three former female lawmakers tell The Associated Press that they, too, …
Crime
Hinds DA's New Lawyer Pushes Back on State Case
Strapped with a new lead defense attorney, Robert Shuler Smith will face a trial in Rankin County for charges of two counts of domestic violence, and aggravated stalking and robbery.
Crime
Hollywood Sex Accusations Now Levied at Ratner, Hoffman
Hollywood's widening sexual harassment crisis has ensnared a prominent film director after six women—including actress Olivia Munn—accused Brett Ratner of sexual assault or misconduct in a Los Angeles Times report …
Crime
Sex Workers Caught in Trafficking Crackdown
Amid widespread efforts to crack down on sex trafficking, particularly of children, those who participate in adult sex work—often called prostitution—are getting caught in the sweeps. Many consider this a …
Crime
Hinds DA Replaces Attorney Reeves—Who Still Has the Gun
An "overwhelmed" Rankin County judge has delayed Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith's trial for charges of two counts of domestic violence and aggravated stalking and robbery until Jan. …
Cover
Saved for a Reason: The Fight to End Domestic Violence
The Mississippi Department of Health tracks interpersonal violence in the state, and in fiscal-year 2015, law-enforcement officers responded to 10,411 calls related to domestic violence, the annual report from the …
