Group asks Hinds County to raise public defender pay as supervisors cite tight budget
A coalition urged the Hinds County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to appropriate $350,000 to raise starting salaries for public defenders to $80,000, arguing the move would reduce turnover and speed criminal cases. Defend Mississippi made the request at a press conference Feb. 24, 2026, while supervisors said the county faces competing budget demands that limit its ability to pay more.
Defend Mississippi, which said it receives support from national criminal justice advocates, told supervisors higher pay would limit staff churn and reduce time defendants spend jailed awaiting resolution. “When public defense is properly resourced, the entire system functions,” said C.J. Lawrence, an attorney and founder of Black With No Chaser, at the news conference.
State Public Defender André de Gruy attributed part of the pay gap to the fact that prosecutors’ salaries are state-funded while counties must pay assistant public defenders. Preliminary results of a study by the Office of the State Public Defender show Hinds County public defenders earn an average of about $20,000 less than their counterparts statewide, the office said.
Supervisors said the county’s budget is strained by state mandates and a costly jail project. District 3 Supervisor Deborah Dixon said lawmakers have added responsibilities without providing funding. “They’re making new laws, but they ain’t sending new money with the laws,” she said, citing a fifth circuit court judge and additional court positions. The county is also building a new detention center to comply with a 2016 federal consent decree; supervisors originally estimated the project at $60 million, and WLBT recently reported the cost will be $100 million, the station reported. A federal receiver took over operations of the Raymond Detention Center last fall, officials have said.
Some supervisors called for nonbudget solutions. “You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip,” District 2 Supervisor Tony Smith said, urging more use of release or alternatives for nonviolent offenders who remain jailed because they cannot make bond. Hinds County Public Defender Gail Wright Lowery, who has requested raises in the past, said investing in public defense saves money by avoiding unnecessary jail time. Lowery will submit a funding request at the board’s March 2, 2026, meeting, according to Defend Mississippi.
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