A new report released by the office of Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy on Tuesday reveals the district attorney made his office more diverse and focused on fairness during his first year in office. Memphis suffered a crime wave during Mulroy’s first year on the job, ultimately giving it the highest homicide rate per capita in a study of large U.S. cities.
Mulroy (pictured above) began his report with a statement claiming “Crime and Reform” are “complementary,” arguing, “Reform restores public confidence in the fairness of our system, which is understandably low after years of neglect,” which in turn will lead to more “cooperation” with law enforcement, leading to a decrease in crime.
Highlighting silver linings from his tumultuous first year in office, Mulroy also claimed the quick decision to charge the officers involved in the death of Tyre Nichols meant “Memphis didn’t burn.”
The report underscores three major accomplishments in Mulroy’s first year in office, beginning with his “refocus on violent crime” that saw his office “deemphasize certain non-public safety offenses,” including “marijuana possession and being late on fines and fees” in a bid to “better focus on violent crime.”
It also celebrates the creation of the Justice Review Unit, which Mulroy and his office’s report explained exists to oversee officer-involved shootings and to consider wrongful sentence cases.
Additionally, the report boasts of Mulroy’s achievements in “staff diversity.” The report explained that, after hiring 85 new employees, “Among staff, persons of color increased 10 percent, from 30 percent to 40 percent.” The report added, “Among prosecutors, the increase went from 15 percent to 20 percent,” while the office’s “number of attorney supervisors of color has doubled.”
The report also highlighted Mulroy’s decision to enter a Memorandum of Understanding with the Justice Innovation Lab (JIL), which openly seeks the abolition of bail in the United States.
According to the report, Mulroy’s office partnered with JIL to “enhance data transparency,” the group “started reviewing and analyzing the office’s case management data for data quality and integrity” under Mulroy’s watch. JIL also “trained [assistant district attorneys] and support staff on data-driven decision making.”
The report further claimed Mulroy’s partnership with JIL will “increase data transparency and accountability, including a public-facing Data Dashboard on the county’s website that is expected at some point this year.
State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) raised his concern about the agreement with JIL in December 2023 when he sent a letter to the Tennessee District Attorneys Conference (TDAC) requesting Mulroy be compelled to provide the agreements for inspection over his concerns about the district attorney’s interest in “restorative justice organizations” seeking to “eliminate bail.”
In a subsequent appearance on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy, Taylor expressed concern that JIL and other groups could have special access to real-time bail data.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Steve Mulroy” by Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
