MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy is responding after a report revealed repeat offenders made up 78% of the jail population in October.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office’s Monthly Report Card shows that in October, 2,550 inmates were repeat offenders, which means they made up 78% of the jail population at that time.
In a statement, the District Attorney says he encourages his prosecutors to focus on keeping repeat offenders in jail; however, he says it’s also important that resources are put in place to prevent recidivism.
78% of those in Shelby County Jail are repeat offenders, report reveals
“For too long, we have had a knee-jerk reaction that the solution to crime was to lock more people up and to lock them up longer without really thinking too much about what brought those people to the courtroom in the first place and what keeps them coming back,” said Mulroy…