JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – State Auditor Shad White discussed Jackson’s crime crisis on Monday, May 23.
He said everyone agrees the capital city need more resources for police and judges. However, he also said older mentors are needed to pass on their knowledge to the younger generation.
White said a root cause of Jackson’s crime is young men growing up in broken homes.
“They don’t have their fathers around, and so, they’re not taught by self-discipline. They’re not taught some of the lessons that they need to be taught. And then, they’re left to be basically raised by the streets in the end, by the end of their high school career, if they even finish high school,” said White. “This is a huge concern to me because it’s a societal issue .It’s a societal problem that results in crime. A lot of the victims of crime in Jackson are lower income individuals. We have a duty to make our capital city safe. And so, I hope that we’re able to eventually crack at these problems and make our capital city live up to the potential that we know it has.”