JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – On Tuesday, Mississippi lawmakers and law enforcement came together to host “A Conversation on Crime in the Capital City.”
The purpose of the forum was to discuss what law enforcement deals with on a daily basis in Jackson and to discuss crime fighting solutions.
A panel of law enforcement and the Jackson Public School District (JPS) superintendent discussed the crime crisis in the capital city.
“These crimes and violence, a lot of that can be tracked back to poverty, concentrated poverty,” said Superintendent Dr. Errick Greene.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said part of the issue is the case backlog that has slowed down the judicial process. He said nearly 800 adults are in jail in Hinds County awaiting trial.
The sheriff said more of these cases involve minors committing violent crimes. Law enforcement said they’re doing the best they can to get guns out of the hands of criminals, but they said state gun laws make it more difficult.
“It’s not against the law for a juvenile to be in possession of a gun, a rifle, pistol, shotgun, anything in a vehicle,” said Jones.
“The weapon of choice for young people are AR-15 rifles. Why? Because they can possess them and there’s nothing I can do with them when I find them in their possession unless the gun is stolen or has already been used for some type of crime,” stated Hinds County Judge Johnnie McDaniels.
Leaders agreed that many residents have mental health issues that need to be properly treated, but one of the biggest solutions that was recommended to curb crime was to make sure that all of Jackson’s children have good role models in their lives. Officials said the state needs to help fund the positive programs in the community.
“It’s time for all of us to get together a financial resource package to put into the community to help address these needs,” said State Senator Sollie Norwood (D-District 28).
Officials plan to have more panel discussions on curbing crime with more participants, including parents, community leaders and mental health specialists.
Although there is an upward trend of teenagers committing violent crimes, Greene said the percentage of them is small compared to the percentage of teenagers going down the right path. He added that the community should uplift the ones who are doing well.