HOOD LAYS OUT 10-POINT PLAN TO CURB CRIME

Democratic attorney general candidate Jim Hood speaks in front of the
Forrest County Courthouse on Wednesday.

Democratic attorney general candidate Jim Hood on Wednesday unveiled a
10-point plan that would add an array of new laws and programs aimed at
curbing crime, especially those involving violent offenders.

Hood, 41, who lives in Houston, Miss., and is district attorney for the
seven county Third Circuit Court District in North Mississippi, said he
favors the creation of 5-year mandatory additional sentences for offenders
who commit crimes with a gun, creating a sexual crimes prosecutor in the
attorney general's office, expediting death penalty cases and assigning
assistant attorneys general to work with local prosecutors.

"It's not just one bullet that you use in the war on crime, which is
incarceration - you use that and you use it effectively," said Hood during
a stop in Hattiesburg. "But you also use prevention. And you do work and
treatment and rehabilitation."

Hood made four appearances around Mississippi Wednesday touting his plans.

A former special assistant attorney general from 1990 to 1995, Hood said
his previous experience with lawmakers would help him get his proposals
passed by the Legislature.

"What you do is you help the Legislature draft those statutes, and you help
them know what other statutes they may amend," Hood said. "I worked in the
Legislature and I think we will get (mandatory 5-year sentences for crimes
committed with a firearms) passed the first year I am in office."

He said he wants to target drug and alcohol offenders because they
contribute to "90 percent" of violent crimes, Hood said.

Hood said his experience gives him the edge over his Republican opponent,
Scott Newton.

Newton's campaign manager, Neil Forbes, agreed that experience is the key
issue in the race, but said Newton possesses enough for the job.

"Scott's experience as a federal prosecutor has prepared him to take on
some of the toughest cases and his experience as an FBI agent gives him the
understanding of the difficulties law enforcement officers face," Forbes
said in a telephone interview.

Newton is scheduled to speak Saturday at the Pine Belt Fair at the James
Lynn Cartlidge Forrest County Multi Purpose Center.

Interim Forrest County prosecutor Paul "Chipper" Johnson III endorsed
Hood's plans and said he believes they are attainable, specifically the
5-year sentence for crimes committed with a firearm.

"I think those are the people who ought to be in the penitentiary and not
first-time drug users," Johnson said. "I think they need help and they
don't need to be taking up our tax dollars unless they're out selling to
children."