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Johnson v. Kempter County et al.

Health and Safety
Wayne Johnson was incarcerated at the Kemper Neshoba Regional Correctional Facility for failure to pay fines owed to the Meridian, Mississippi Municipal Court. Despite being sentenced to only two days in jail, Mr. Johnson was detained for more than 50 days. Kemper County, Sheriff James Moore, and five correctional officers have been sued by the...

Davis v. Mississippi (U.S. Supreme Court)

Parole
Shawn Davis was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a crime he committed soon after his sixteenth birthday. We argue in the Supreme Court of the United States that Mr. Davis should be resentenced to life in prison—but with the possibility of parole—because every juvenile, even those convicted of serious...

Rhoades v. City of Jackson

Police Abuse
Following a community-led class action lawsuit, the City of Jackson has agreed to submit to federal court enforcement of the settlement. The consent decree, prohibits the use of roadblocks for general crime control, requires roadblocks to be evenly distributed across Jackson, specifies the limited circumstances under which people may be arrested at a roadblock, and addresses practical issues such as the towing and retrieval of cars.

Cook v. Mississippi (U.S. Supreme Court)

Parole
Jerrard Cook was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a crime he committed soon while seventeen years old. We argue in the Supreme Court of the United States that Mr. Cook should be resentenced to life in prison—but with the possibility of parole—because every juvenile, even those convicted of serious crimes, have the potential for rehabilitation and a productive, meaningful life. In fact, a court-appointed forensic psychologist testified that Mr. Cook “did not appear to be one of those . . . rare offenders who couldn’t be rehabilitated.”

Chandler v. State of Mississippi

Parole
Joey Chandler committed murder in 2003, when he was 17. He is currently in prison in Mississippi, serving a life sentence with no possibility of parole. If any juvenile offender can demonstrate rehabilitation, it is Joey Chandler. His disciplinary record over more than a decade of his incarceration has been virtually spotless. He has availed...