AGO Publications
The following is an alphabetical list of brochures and publications produced by the Mississippi Attorney General's Office. Our brochures are available via download and can be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Acrobat Reader you can download it for free from Adobe. We have Spanish Language Brochures available here as well.
A Parent’s PLAN to Child Safety
Vital factors in ensuring child safety are: Preparation, Listening, Awareness, and Nurturing. Because dangerous situations are real in a child?s world, parents must use every measure available to protect their children. Unfortunately, parents cannot be with their child at all times, so this PLAN provides parents with some indicators of predatory behavior, steps to implement, precautionary guidelines to follow and some basic safety skills for children.
A Victims’ Guide
Crime Prevention and Victim Services administers the Crime Victim Compensation Division and Victim Services Division. Our goal is to provide services to victims of crime and to assist in their recovery. We provide specialized services to crime victims, offers training and technical assistance, promotes and advocates for the rights of victims and serves as a point of contact for crime victims, service providers and the criminal justice professionals throughout the State.
Address Confidentiality Program Brochure
If you move to a new location to escape domestic violence, sexual abuse or stalking, the Address Confidentiality Program can help keep your new address confidential.
Consumer Tips for Storm Victims
Even in emergency situations it pays to be a smart consumer. Unscrupulous con artists prey on people who are down on their luck . These tips have been compiled by Mississippi’s Office of Attorney General to help protect you from becoming a victim of fraud or deception.
Cyber Bullying Brochure
Cyberbullying occurs when one child or teen uses the Internet, cellphone or other type of social media to harass, embarrass or taunt another child or teen. Often, children use cyberbullying to get revenge on someone, or boost their self-esteem by putting others down. Others do it because they think it?s funny or because they are bored.
Dating Violence Brochure
What is Dating Violence? Where can I find help? Your dating violence questions answered in this brochure created by the Attorney Generals Office.
DUI Benchbook March 2012 - Mississippi
This new manual covers all areas of Mississippi DUI law, including but not limited to, traffic stops, chemical testing, proving the DUI case, DUI mutilation or death, examining witnesses, sentencing, driver?s license suspension, zero tolerance for minors, and commercial motor vehicles. THIS DOCUMENT IS PASSWORD PROTECTED.
Federal Firearms Law Brochure
This brochure is an important notice to persons who have been convicted of qualifying misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence or who are subject to a qualifying domestic abuse protection order.
Guide to Preventing Alcohol and Tobacco Sales to Minors
This manual is designed to assist you in effectively reducing teen access to age restricted products. It is our hope that store owners, managers, and clerks realize their role in keeping tobacco and alcohol out of the hands of minors. Our collective efforts will greatly impact future generations.
Home Repair Guidelines and Model Contract
The Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General offers these guidelines and the Model Contract as suggestions to help consumers avoid possible misunderstandings about home improvements. If you follow these guidelines and insist upon a written contract, some of the most common problems with home repair contractors might be avoided. If your contractor does not offer you a written contract, you should ask him to complete and sign the model contract form on the reverse side of these guidelines. If in doubt, or if you are agreeing to spend a lot of money, you should have a local attorney go over your contract before you sign.
Identity Theft
Identity theft is the fastest growing white-collar crime in the United States today. It can be simply defined as the unauthorized access and/or use of your personal information for fraudulent purposes. The personal information used by identity thieves can be gathered in a variety of ways from theft of your wallet or purse to overhearing your Social Security number and name. While this may seem frightening, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk of your identity being stolen. This guide will illustrate the steps you can take to protect your information in an effort to prevent, and if necessary, recover from identity theft.
Mississippi Youth Violence and School Safety Initiative
Protect your children when they are at school. This brochure looks at steps being taken to ensure safe academic settings for your children to learn in and the steps being taken to deter youth violence. This publication is only available online.
MS Youth Court Desk Book - 2007
The Mississippi Youth Court Desk Book places key youth court information under one cover thus providing immediate access to updated material. This book was sponsored by the Mississippi Court Advocacy and Justice Institute and has been updated annually by staff of the Administrative Office of Courts. This publication is only available online.
NAAG Task Force on School and Campus Safety: Report & Recommendations
In 1999, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) created a Task Force on Youth Violence and School Safety. In May of 1999, just weeks after the tragic incident at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, NAAG held a summit in Jackson, Mississippi, hosted by former Mississippi Attorney General and then NAAG President Michael Moore, to focus on reducing youth violence and making schools safer. In the fall of 1999, the Task Force issued its Report and Recommendations to the States based on information gathered at the summit. The document made recommendations regarding early childhood development, after school programs, volunteer mentoring programs, mechanisms for students to anonymously report threats, partnerships between schools and law enforcement, and the need for every school to design a safety and crisis management plan. The information in the 1999 report remains relevant and informative. This publication is only available online.
Pocket Guide to Sunshine Laws
Like other states, Mississippi has a Public Records Act and an Open Meetings Act, otherwise known as ?sunshine laws.? These laws provide that all government meetings and records except those specifically exempt must be open to the public. The best protection for public officials is to have a good working knowledge of the laws, and the exceptions that apply.
Request for Public Records
The public records policy of the Attorney General’s Office has been adopted in accordance with the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983, Section 25-61-1, et seq, Miss. Code Ann. (1972). All requests to examine, copy or obtain public records, shall be in writing utilizing the standard Request for Public Records form. The request must identify the records, give the name, address and telephone number of the requesting agency or individual, and must be signed by the requesting party.
For a complete look at the agency’s procedures for handling public record requests, please refer to the Attorney General’s Office Policy and Procedures Manual for Media and Open Records.
Resource Brochure to Combating Senior Financial Abuse in Mississippi
Thousands of Mississippi seniors are abused and neglected each year. As the ?baby boomer? generation ages, this problem will worsen. In 2000, Mississippi had 457,144 citizens 60 years or older. By 2025, the age 65 and older population is expected to be at 615,000 in Mississippi. (Census Bureau, Population Paper Listing 47) For the purpose of this publication, we focus on financial elder abuse. There are usually three reasons why financial elder abuse happens:
* Need or greed: People who take advantage of elders usually have financial problems or act out of greed.
* Opportunity: Offenders often have opportunities to obtain an elder?s money or property by pressuring or otherwise influencing them or taking advantage of the trust, discretion or power that has been given to them.
* A sense of entitlement: Offenders also usually have a false sense of entitlement or, in other words, they believe that they ?deserve? the money as the future heir or because they believe that older people in general don?t really need all their money.
Resource Guide to Combating Senior Financial Abuse in Mississippi
(This Guide is 41 pages.) Thousands of Mississippi seniors are abused and neglected each year. As the ?baby boomer? generation ages, this problem will worsen. In 2000, Mississippi had 457,144 citizens 60 years or older. By 2025, the age 65 and older population is expected to be at 615,000 in Mississippi. (Census Bureau, Population Paper Listing 47) For the purpose of this publication, we focus on financial elder abuse. There are usually three reasons why financial elder abuse happens:
1. Need or greed: People who take advantage of elders usually have financial problems or act out of greed.
2. Opportunity: Offenders often have opportunities to obtain an elder?s money or property by pressuring or otherwise influencing them or taking advantage of the trust, discretion or power that has been given to them.
3. A sense of entitlement: Offenders also usually have a false sense of entitlement or, in other words, they believe that they ?deserve? the money as the future heir or because they believe that older people in general don?t really need all their money.
This publication is available only online.
School Violence Prevention Guide
This school violence prevention guide is designed to help teachers identify the warning signs of a potentially violent child and to help school administrators establish a protocol for students and teachers to report these signs before a violent act occurs. Our children deserve to go to school in a safe environment, and it is my goal to make sure that happens.
Stalking Brochure
What is stalking? How do I know if I am being stalked? Your stalking questions answered in this brochure created by the Attorney Generals Office.
Underage Drinking Brochure
What Parents Should Know…....Mississippi?s 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of students in grades nine through twelve shows that youth alcohol abuse starts long before college and demonstrates clearly why parents should talk about alcohol with their children at an early age (between 9-11). Read More.
Understanding Domestic Abuse
If you or anyone you know may be in an abusive relation, please seek help! In addition to seeking criminal and civil remedies against the abuser, other types of assistance are available in most communities.
Vulnerable Persons Law Enforcement Guide
Our office created this guide to provide you with an overview of the laws and punishments concerning this crime. Taking advantage of a vulnerable person is one of the most disgusting things a person can do. Still, it is happening every day. Our job is to recognize the signs and hopefully stop the crime before it happens. We hope this guide will provide you with the information you need as you fight this crime from the frontline.
What Determines What I Pay for Gas?
In recent times Mississippians have experienced dramatic changes in the price per gallon of gasoline. Prices in the Jackson area have ranged from 2 to 3 dollars per gallon. Other areas of the state have seen even greater volatility. These dramatic price changes have led to charges of price gouging and profiteering by oil companies, refiners, and local gasoline retailers. The purpose of this brief is to describe some of the factors that affect the price consumers pay at the pump.
Workplace Violence Prevention Guide
This guide is designed to help prevent workplace violence by providing a profile of a potentially violent employee and establishing a protocol for employees and management to report information to a designated law enforcement officer. It also includes tips on how to respond during a violent event in the workplace and where to get help afterwards.
Youth Drug Abuse Brochure
Nationally, the overall use of illicit drugs is down, but the illegal use of prescription drugs is up among teens. Teens also are experimenting more with ecstasy, hallucinogens such as LSD, and heroin/opiates. Read More…...
Youth Suicide - What Parents Should Know
This publication is designed to provide you insight into the problem of suicide among youth in Mississippi and to equip you with knowledge that may help prevent a young person from taking his or her life.
Spanish Language Brochures
El Fraude de Automovil
Comprar un autom?vil es una de las decisiones m?s costosas y dif?ciles para los consumidores. Investigue bien el autom?vil que desea comprar, cu?nto puede gastar y los costos de mantenimiento. Asimismo llame a la L?nea Especial de Seguridad de Autom?viles del Departamento de Transporte, al 1-800-424-9393, para informaci?n de autom?viles que han sido retirados del mercado.
El Fraude en Casa
Para muchos consumidores comprar una casa es la inversi?n m?s grande de sus vidas. Por lo tanto, tenga mucho cuidado al seleccionar un contratista para reparar o remodelar su casa.
El Fraude en la Billetra
Las organizaciones caritativas leg?timas dependen de su generosidad. Sin embargo, tenga cuidado, tome su tiempo, haga las investigaciones necesarias y est? consciente de las se?ales de una estafa antes de hacer un donativo.
