Mississippi Office of State Public Defender

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Mississippi Office of State Public Defender The Office of State Public Defender includes the Capital Defense Counsel Division, the Indigent Appeals Division, and the Public Defender Training Division.

The Mississippi Office of State Public Defender was established in 2011, to consolidate Capital Defense, Indigent Appeals, and Training into a single statewide office and to begin planning for a coordinated statewide public defense system. The Capital Defense Counsel Division serves two main purposes:

1) to provide high quality representation to indigent persons charged with death penalty eligible offenses in the state courts of Mississippi at the trial level and
on direct appeal where the death penalty has been imposed; and

2) to relieve the financial burden death penalty cases pose to local governments. The Indigent Appeals Division provides competent legal representation on direct appeal for indigent persons convicted of felonies but not under sentence of death. The Training Division provides annual training and helpful resources to Mississippi's public defenders.

10/02/2026

New evidence has undermined the forensic experts whose testimony helped send Devin Bennett to death row for his infant son's death.

Time to go to work
09/30/2026

Time to go to work

RAYMOND, Miss. (WJTV) – Jail overcrowding at the Hinds County Detention Center is an issue that’s been front and center. It’s one of the hot topics in the Hinds County District At…

09/29/2026

Great work by Gail, her staff and Defend Mississippi. Defenders have to have the resources to defend the Constitution for all.

09/29/2026
The Training Division also completed Youth Defense Certification Training at Margaritaville Biloxi on Thursday and Frida...
09/21/2026

The Training Division also completed Youth Defense Certification Training at Margaritaville Biloxi on Thursday and Friday of last week. Here are some highlights from this training.

We look forward to seeing the Family and Youth Defenders for the Spring of 2027.

09/18/2026

Hinds County, it’s time to hear directly from the candidates. 🗳️

Join the Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee for a District Attorney Candidate Forum on Thursday, September 24 at 6:00 PM at Belmont Church in Raymond, Mississippi.

This is your opportunity to hear from the candidates, ask questions, and learn where they stand before heading to the polls.

📍 Belmont Church — Raymond, MS
📅 Thursday, September 24, 2026
⏰ 6:00 PM
🎟️ Open to the public

Your voice matters. Show up. Be informed. Vote.

The Training Division just completed the 2026 Fall Family Defense Certification Training. Here are some of the highlight...
09/17/2026

The Training Division just completed the 2026 Fall Family Defense Certification Training. Here are some of the highlights.

Partners for Justice brought Advocates to Hinds County on a two year grant. They changed lives.
09/16/2026

Partners for Justice brought Advocates to Hinds County on a two year grant. They changed lives.

Public defenders are overworked and underpaid. A growing corps of client advocates is helping defendants in communities across the U.S.

09/13/2026

We’re looking for a strategic thinker, strong relationship builder, and policy mind who knows how to turn good ideas into real solutions.

Empower Mississippi is hiring a Vice President for Public Policy to lead our policy development, government affairs, and coalition-building efforts.

This role is based in Ridgeland, Mississippi, and is an opportunity to help shape solutions that expand opportunity for Mississippians.

Could this be you? Or does someone in your network come to mind?

👉 Learn more and apply: https://empowerms.org/were-hiring-vice-president-for-public-policy/

08/29/2026

Rivers appeared in Forrest County Court on Friday morning and officially entered his plea of guilty.

Address

P. O. Box 3510
Jackson, MS
39207

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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