Issues

During his four years as attorney general, Jim Hood and his office have achieved extraordinary successes that have resulted in a safer and better Mississippi. Some of those achievements are:

Keeping Convicted Felons Behind Bars.

Attorney General Hood’s office has won 94% of its criminal appeals which means that convicted felons stayed behind bars.

Fighting Sexual Predators.

Taken a hard line when it comes to sexual predators. General Hood got landmark legislation passed that allows law enforcement to better track convicted sexual predators, puts tougher restrictions on them, requires them to carry licenses that identifies them as sexual predators, and keeps them away from our schools. His Cybercrime Center has prosecuted individuals for abusing children, distributing child pornography, and other criminal charges. With the opening of the Cybercrime Center’s new state-of-the-art facility, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office will lead the nation when it comes to fighting online sexual predators and identity theft.

Fighting the Scourge of Methamphetamine.

Fought for the passage of a law that restricted access to the ingredients used to make methamphetamine. The result has been dramatic—meth labs have been reduced in the state by 71%.

Fighting for Homeowners.

Hurricane Katrina left over 90,000 Mississippians homeless and demolished entire towns. When insurance companies failed to treat homeowners fairly, General Hood brought the insurance industry to court when these companies refused to pay what was owed to homeowners. Much more needs to be done, but General Hood’s actions have so far resulted in insurance companies reevaluating homeowners’ claims, fully disclosing all information pertinent to those claims, and in numerous cases paying claims rightfully owed to homeowners. General Hood will not rest until all Mississippi homeowners and businesses get the insurance relief they are due.

Righting Historic Wrongs.

Working with the local district attorney, General Hood secured the conviction of former Klansman Edgar Ray Killen for orchestrating the murder of three civil rights workers in 1964.

Fighting Drunk Driving.

Fought for laws that require drunk drivers who kill someone to serve 85% of their sentence to keep them off the streets.

Protecting the Elderly and Vulnerable Adults.

Worked to make sure that our elderly and vulnerable adults are protected and those who would harm or exploit them are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Established “Friendly Nursing Home Visitors Program” to insure seniors are being properly cared for in the state’s nursing homes, and worked to protect seniors from scams by publishing a newsletter covering senior issues. Successfully prosecuted numerous cases involving neglect, abuse and financial exploitation of vulnerable adults.

Protecting Our Youth.

General Hood is dedicated to improving the lives of Mississippi’s children through the creation and promotion of after-school and mentoring programs. Over the last four years, General Hood has provided over $13.5 million to programs like Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. To make schools safer, working with Mississippi Crime Stoppers and the Department of Education, General Hood launched a school violence prevention initiative, resulting in increased safety patrols in Mississippi schools.

Protecting Victims’ Rights.

General Hood worked with the legislature to move the Crime Victims Compensation Division to the Attorney General’s Office. Over the last three years, this division has provided over $3.5 million to crime victims to pay for funerals for murdered loved ones and other items that victims may need to try to rebuild their lives.

Fighting for Mississippi Consumers from Identity Theft, Price Gouging and Home Repair Fraud.

General Hood’s office has prosecuted identity theft, price gouging and home repair fraud, and worked to educate Mississippians to prevent them from becoming victims of these crimes.

Ensuring Elderly, Poor, and Disabled Retained Medical benefits.

The Attorney General’s Office intervened on behalf of the state’s elderly, poor and disabled when the state tried to terminate benefits under the Mississippi Medicaid’s Poverty Level Aged and Disabled (PLAD) program. The office was successful in protecting the health care benefits for thousands of Mississippi’s elderly and disabled.

Recovering State Funds.

The Attorney General’s Office reached a settlement agreement for over $100 Million with MCI Worldcom in a scheme to defraud the state of millions in taxes. This settlement was more than 33 times than what the state originally agreed to to receive.

Combating Medicaid Fraud.

The Medicaid Fraud Division has recovered millions from providers and returned those funds to the state.

Pursuing Deadbeat Parents.

The Child Support Unit in the Attorney General’s Office has convicted deadbeat parents for failure to pay child support and secured child support payments that are so desperately needed by custodial parents and their children.