Supervisors change course and rehire fired employees in the district attorney’s office

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The Hinds County Board of Supervisors reversed course Monday and reinstated the positions of four terminated employees in the District Attorney’s Office.

It’s been a turbulent few weeks for workers laid off during the 2025 budget negotiations.

District Attorney Jody Owens met with the board during a board meeting, which changed its mind about the cuts made at budget hearings on Sept. 12.

Four employees, including investigators, paralegals and victims’ rights advocates, will return to work. There were salary cuts for four employees.

“I’m going to run right now and find every single one of them and tell them they have their jobs,” Owens said. “They are insured and will continue to serve the people of Hinds County, and we thank Supervisor Graham for hearing our cry on this issue.”

Board Chairman Robert Graham said compromise was key to restoring adequate funding to the office.

“We basically just reconsidered a vote on what we need to provide the district attorney in terms of resources,” Graham said. “We moved some things around and were able to provide him with the resources he needs to run his office.”

The five-member board voted unanimously to approve the funding. The amount returned to the prosecutor’s office has not been released.

Officials say the district attorney’s office was one of 20 departments that received cuts.

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