Budget kills death penalty prosecutions in Hinds

Budget kills death penalty prosecutions in Hinds

The Hinds County district attorney’s office had been considering the death penalty against the suspects in the two unrelated cases but now says, because of budget issues and other factors, seeking capital punishment in case of a conviction is now off the table.

“We won’t be doing as many of those (death-penalty cases),” District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith said.

Hinds County cut about 70 jobs, delayed the opening of a jail expansion, denied departments’ requests for new equipment, scaled back on contracted services such as janitors, and left less than $179,000 in reserve for the budget year that began Oct. 1.

Clarion-Ledger
10/26/9