Jackson Free Press

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 …

False equalization on domestic abuse only hurts the fight against it

It always make me cringe and fidget whenever someone answers a clear case of discrimination, or other un-nicety common among a certain group of people, with, "Well, so-and-so does it, …

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 …

It's Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Domestic Abuse is a Pre-Existing Condition in Mississippi

Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney expressed outrage today that the state of Mississippi is one of eight states in the nation, including the District of Columbia, which allows insurance companies …

Of Contracts, Broken

Over the past few weeks, the Mississippi Legislature has bandied about a few anemic attempts at strengthening laws protecting victims of domestic violence. Among them is an addition to the …

It's Time to Save Lives

Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which started Monday, has taken on a new urgency this year. Given the recent spate of domestic murders in Jackson that might have been prevented, it's …

‘You’ll Be Safe Here’

Domestic abuse is not always obvious, and someone can be completely in control of her life on paper but not at home.

Domestic Abuse May Become Grounds for Divorce in Mississippi

Domestic violence is not currently grounds for divorce in Mississippi, a state where "natural impotency" is listed first as legal grounds for divorce.

Women Speak Out

We asked JFP readers and domestic-abuse victims to share their stories. Here are a couple of the many responses we received. I always thought I was too strong, smart and …

Area's First Batterer's Intervention Program Coming to Jackson

Domestic violence. It's such a bland, vanilla euphemism for some of the most brutal and damaging pain that people inflict on one another. Brutal, of course, because people—mostly women and …

Don't Soft-Pedal Domestic Abuse

Under Mississippi state law, it is too easy to get away with abusing animals and spouses. And too often, the same people do both.

Committee Chairman Andy Gipson, a Braxton Republican, says domestic abuse is already covered under "habitual …

• February 28, 2017

Bills to Protect Domestic Abuse Victims

After her husband physically and mentally abused her for nearly a decade, Joy Jones* realized her situation was only going to get worse. She gathered up enough courage to seek …

Tuesday, Dec. 4 – Center for Violence Prevention Christmas Gala

Help fight domestic abuse at a Christmas Gala to benefit The Center for Violence Prevention, which provides programs, housing and services to victims of domestic violence. Heavy hors d'oevres; cocktail/business …

Attorney General Holding Domestic Violence Conference May 13-14

[verbatim statement] The Domestic Violence Division of the Mississippi Attorney General's Office, in cooperation with the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, will hold its second annual Domestic Violence Conference on …

Shannon Goodwill

Shannon Goodwill wants families affected by domestic violence to know that the community supports them. Goodwill, a sixth-grade art teacher at Brandon Middle School, is organizing "Art and Sole," an …

Calling All Men of Character

To reverse the abuse cycle, it takes all of us, especially men.

Save ‘Violence Against Women Act'

Next on conservatives' list of things to drown in the bathtub of "big government extravagance" is the Violence Against Women Act. Bill Clinton signed VAWA into law in 1994, providing …

Domestic-Violence Victims Can Waive Utility Deposits

Mississippi domestic-violence victims can now overcome a major hurdle to starting a new life away from their abusers.