Jackson Free Press

Politicizing Tragedy

The nation woke up Sunday to a horrific shock—the worst mass shooting in recent U.S. history—that at least for now appears to be part terror, part hate crime.

Reducing Rape, Violence with ‘Engaged Bystanders’

The Mississippi Department of Health is working to bring domestic violence numbers down by implementing Green Dot training across the state to get communities to reconsider their role in preventing …

Green Dot, etc. trainers held a four-day training for staff from Mississippi’s domestic-violence shelters to …

• June 14, 2016

Attorney: Walnut Grove Prison Invested in 'Wrong Things,' State Punishes 'Unjustly'

An attorney for the organization that helped get juveniles out of the Walnut Grove prison is happy that it is closing, and wants the State of Mississippi to invest in …

Junior Jail: Surviving Mississippi’s Juvenile Justice System

Many juvenile "offenders" are routinely sent into a separate labyrinth from adult offenders in the justice system, one with its own complex problems, remedies and slowly changing standards.

Stand With Victims of Sexual Violence

On the one day a week that I'm allowed to sleep past noon, I woke before dawn to a flurry of Facebook shares of one victim's soul-rattling letter to her …

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

Yarber 'Running Hard' Again in 2017, Lee Says He Isn't Running

Mayor Tony Yarber announced his campaign for another term for the first time publicly at the weekly Friday Forum at Koinonia Coffee House, urged on to make the statement from …

Trafficking: An Ugly Reality in Mississippi

Human trafficking, a form of slavery, doesn't just happen overseas in prostitution rings or on television. It's a nasty, ugly reality—and it happens right here in Mississippi.

Human Trafficking: Unseen and Unaddressed

Victims of human trafficking need a place to go in Mississippi. The Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl has an emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence, and Executive Director …

Lawmakers: Stop Using Transgender Citizens as Political Pawns

In a state where lawmakers couldn't make domestic violence grounds for divorce, the same group of legislators claim that the protection of girls and women informs their decision to demand …

Supreme Court Upends All-White Jury Verdict, Death Sentence

The Supreme Court upended the conviction and death sentence of a black Georgia man Monday because prosecutors violated the Constitution by excluding African-Americans from the all-white jury that determined his …

Obama Lifts Decades-Old Arms Ban in His 1st Visit to Vietnam

U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday lifted a half-century-old ban on selling arms to Vietnam, looking to bolster a government seen as a crucial, though flawed partner in a region …

2016 Legislative Session a Bust

The new Republican supermajority succeeded in making the 2016 Mississippi Legislative Session one of the least productive and most contentious on record. Aside from those accomplishments, the 2016 Session was …

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

UPDATED: City of Jackson's Fund Reserve Down to $1.3 Million, Core Services Under Knife

The Jackson City Council finally heard Thursday what some members had already surmised in earlier meetings: The City administration has pulled from the ordinance-mandated fund reserves, leaving a little more …

Domestic Violence Coalition: State Needs to Support Victims

More than a dozen domestic violence activists gathered at the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence headquarters on May 11 in response to the failure of SB 2418, the 'divorce bill' …

On May 11, the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence held a press conference to express …

• May 12, 2016

Powerful Enough to Tear Us Down

If words are powerful enough to build us up, then certainly one can see they'd be strong enough to tear us down.

Captain America Dominates Weekend Box Office

What superhero fatigue? Disney and Marvel's "Captain America: Civil War," the 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has strong-armed its way to becoming the fifth-highest domestic opening ever according …