Hinds County Circuit Court

Hinds County, Mississippi was established on February 12, 1821, and named for General Thomas Hinds. The land which is now Hinds County came from a tract of land which was ceded to the U.S. by the Choctaw tribe in 1821. A site was selected for the courthouse and jail for Hinds County in 1828, and five commissioners were elected. In January 1829, it was determined that the courts would be held at Raymond, and all books, records, and papers belonging to the respective offices would be taken to Raymond. There were many early settlers of Hinds County who were also members of the Legislature, such as W. J. Austin, Silas Brown and Hiram G. Runnels.

Other early settlers who represented the county in the Legislature included Benjamin F. Smith, William W. Walker and Charles M. Lawson. Other notable settlers included Ralph Stovall, whose widow lived to be one hundred and one years of age and was the mother of twenty-two children, down to a modern-day deputy sheriff, L. F. Chiles, who was the grandson of Mrs. Stovall’s seventeenth daughter. Daniel Thomas was an early settler on Baker’s Creek and also served several terms as sheriff of Hinds County. Thomas’ son, Samuel B. Thomas, was a Colonel of the Twelfth Regiment during the war and also served Hinds County as a sheriff for more than a decade.

Hinds County has approximately 362,000 acres of cleared land and more than a quarter of a million residents today. In 1890, the census reported about 40,000 residents in the county. Jackson, the state capital is within Hinds County borders, and Hinds County two county seats are Raymond and Jackson. The primary towns within the county are Jackson, Clinton, Raymond, Edwards, and Bolton, and the principal streams in the county are the Pearl River, Baker’s Creek, Tallahala Bogue Chitto, Rhodes Creek, and Big Creek. The railroads in the county include the Illinois Central, the Alabama & Vicksburg, the Natchez, Jackson & Columbus and the Yazoo branch of the Illinois Central.

Hinds County Circuit Court

The Hinds County Circuit Court is the Seventh Circuit Court District for the State of Mississippi. The Circuit Court has two judicial districts which encompass ten cities. The First Judicial District includes the cities of Jackson, Terry, Byram, Clinton, and Pocahontas, while the Second Judicial District includes Edwards, Bolton, Utica, Pocahontas, and Raymond. Four state circuit judges serve these two judicial districts, disposing of almost four thousand civil and criminal cases, along with appeals, each year. The circuit judges preside over felony criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits where the damages exceed $250,000.

The Hinds County Circuit Court is located at 407 East Pascagoula, Jackson. The hours of the Hinds County Circuit Court are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The presiding judges at the Hinds County Circuit Court include Judge Adrienne Wooten (Subdistrict 1), Judge Winston Kidd (Subdistrict 3), Judge E. Faye Peterson (Subdistrict 4) and Judge Tomie Green, Senior Judge (Subdistrict 2). The Clerk of the Hinds County Circuit Court receives and files all lawsuits, indictments, motions and other related papers in civil and criminal cases and issues all process including summons and subpoenas. The Clerk also draws jurors and qualifies juries, keeps records of all Executions and Judgments, issues marriage licenses and keeps records of marriages, records medical and other professional licenses and registers citizens to vote.

Felonies and Misdemeanors in the State of Mississippi

Mississippi, along with four other states (Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, and West Virginia) do not have specific classes of criminal offense such as first-degree felony, a second-degree felony and so on. In Mississippi, the penalties for misdemeanors and felonies are specified for the offense rather than providing a specific penalty for all offenses within a group. A felony is a serious crime, punishable by a term of one year or more in prison, or, in the case of a capital crime, death or life in prison. Examples of punishments for specific felony criminal offenses in the state of Mississippi include:

• Murder—Life in prison
• Capital Murder—Life in prison or the death penalty
• Manslaughter—A range of up to one year in jail to 20 years in prison and a fine, not less than $500
• Possession of 50-150 grams (or 100-500 dosage units) of a Class V substance (codeine and less addictive drugs)—From 1-4 years in prison and a fine as large as $10,000
• Robbery—Up to 15 years in prison
• Computer Fraud—Up to 5 years in prison and/or a fine as large as $10,000
• Domestic Violence—Up to six months in jail and/or a file as large as $500
• Sexual Battery—Up to 30 years in prison if the offender is older than 21 years and/or a fine as large as $10,000

Misdemeanor criminal offenses in the state of Mississippi are offenses which are punishable by less than a year in jail and/or a fine. Typically, misdemeanor offenses are much less serious in nature than felony offenses. Penalties for misdemeanors in the state of Mississippi are also classified by the specific crime. Misdemeanor crimes in the state can include DUI, shoplifting, and item worth less than $500, petty theft, possession of marijuana (less than 30 grams), carrying a concealed weapon or simple battery. Even though misdemeanors are considered less serious criminal offenses, it is still important that you contact an experienced Mississippi criminal defense attorney to help you fight the charges.

There are a number of collateral consequences resulting from a felony or misdemeanor criminal conviction. The penalties you will face can potentially be minimized by a skilled Mississippi defense lawyer who may even be able to keep you out of jail entirely. If this is your first offense and your crime was a non-violent offense, you may qualify for certain diversion programs which could potentially keep the arrest off your record.

Contact Our Hinds County Criminal Defense Lawyers

If you have been charged with a criminal offense, whether felony or misdemeanor, contact an experienced Hinds County criminal defense attorney as quickly as possible. At Coxwell & Associates, PLLC, our attorneys believe in fighting aggressively for our clients and we can build a defense that is designed to expose the holes in the prosecution’s case against you. Contact Coxwell & Associates today at (601) 265-7766.