Mississippi also has the grim distinction of being the nation’s leader in terms of average prison sentences, at 6.05 years, compared to the national average of 5.42. For a relatively small state in terms of population, Mississippi has 22,000 people in custody and another 39,000 under supervision.

The numbers announced by the Mississippi Department of Corrections also showed what was likely the root cause of the trouble. A shocking seventy-eight percent of the inmates in the state admit to using alcohol or drugs, many of whom committed crimes while under the influence or to feed a habit. [Read more…]

Individuals who find themselves addicted to prescription painkillers may not fit the stereotypical portrait of an illegal drug user. Though they may not start out as criminals, sadly the compulsion to get their hands on the medicines can lead them to take extreme measures. This can involve everything from petty theft to a major robbery. [Read more…]

According to www.dnasaves.org, since 1974 more than 90% of all state prisoners have been repeat offenders. Wiggins said it is statistics like that which are behind his push to get a Mississippi version of the law passed next year.

Lawmakers on the federal level are similarly pushing for passage of the Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act. The law was first proposed in 2010 and would provide funding for states to implement a DNA collection process for felony arrests. [Read more…]

The Hattiesburg dentist, Michael West, has testified in dozens of cases in which he said bite marks on victims matched certain suspects. West would compare bite marks to fingerprints as a way of convincing jurors about the reliability of the identification. Most suspects he testified against ended up going to prison.

A local newspaper recently got its hands on a copy of deposition of the dentist conducted in 2011 where West rejects the science he relied on to put so many criminals behind bards. West is quoted as saying, “I no longer believe in bite-mark analysis. I don’t think it should be used in court. I think you should use DNA. Throw bite marks out.” [Read more…]

Taylor said prosecutors never proved that statutory rape is a violent crime. The Leflore County Circuit Judge and the state’s Court of Appeals disagreed with him. The Supreme Court heard arguments last week. Thus far the Court has been inconsistent in its rulings on statutory rape. The Court has in the past held that “a separate standard of determining violence applies when the victim is a child.” [Read more…]

Henry “Curtis” Jackson, Jr., was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. on Tuesday after receiving a lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Jackson was asked before being strapped down whether he wanted to make a last statement. “No, I don’t,” he responded as his family sat in a nearby room.

Before he died Jackson never looked in the direction of his family, but he did visit with them earlier in the day. One relative who came to say goodbye was a sister whose two children were killed by Jackson. The children were between 2 and 5 years old and were stabbed while Jackson was attempting to steal their mother’s safe while she was away at church. [Read more…]

The current increase in executions in Mississippi runs counter to the trend across the country where fewer people are sentenced to death. Many experts don’t believe the state’s trend is likely to continue. Some believe this recent large number has to do with timing and the appeals process and not a sign of a large increase in the use of the death penalty in the state. [Read more…]