District Attorney Pickens Speaks at Union
Posted Apr 6, 2025
Today, Jody Pickens, the District Attorney in Jackson, spoke to the State and Local Government class. Contrary to what people think, his job is not just to prosecute criminals. He sees his job as protecting the innocent and pursuing the guilty.
He told the class that DAs serve eight-year terms. The extended term is designed to lesson the importance of politics in prosecutorial decisions. His office has 52 employees, including 18 attorneys. His office is broken down into divisions for child support, domestic abuse/sexual assault, DUI and vehicular homicides, and gang crime.
In talking about gang crime, he told us that gang crime is worse than it has ever been because we are in the 4th and 5th generation of gang members. In the 1990s, kids had parents or grandparents who taught them that there is another way to live. Some of the new gang members have grown up only knowing gangs which leads them to have few restraints which makes them more violent. He also talked about how gangs target the Hispanic community because many people will not report crime because they are here illegally and fear getting deported.
He also talked about drug crimes. He claims there are not non-violent drug offenders because once someone gets hooked on drugs, they will do anything to get the money for the drugs which leads to violent crime. He also talked about how gangs have added fentanyl to their drugs to give users a stronger fix. However, there is poor quality control in putting the drugs together which leads to a lot of deaths. He also told us that I-40 has two lanes. East I-40 is the drug side as the drugs are coming to Tennessee from other areas. I-40 West is the money side of the interstate as the money is returning to the drug producers.
Finally, he spoke about addressing domestic violence. He has one ADA work on these cases. Most abuse victims are women and are leery of talking to men. So, his ADA is at the safe hope center and works with the staff there to get the victim the treatment and justice they deserve. By working there, the ADA can build trust with the victim and get the information needed for a conviction. His office has also got $330 million in child support for children in the last 25 years.