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James Wilson Jones

Released
Gender:Male
Race:Black
Era:1960s
State:Mississippi
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Civil Rights
James Wilson Jones

Biography

James Wilson Jones was arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, on July 6, 1961, for participating in a nonviolent sit-in at Livingston Park — one of the arrests recorded by the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission and preserved in the Civil Rights Digital Library. The catalog establishes the arrest, the participation, and the individually identified police photograph, while later County Court records establish the prosecution’s disposition. Any transfer to Parchman and the physical release date remain unresolved.

Deputy clerk Robert Lilly’s sworn October 26, 1964 affidavit reports the following Hinds County Court disposition: County Court docket 12,851: directed verdict for the defendant, March 22, 1962. This is the legal disposition of the Freedom Ride prosecution, not evidence that physical custody continued until that date or that a jail release occurred then. Earlier municipal convictions, where already documented, are preserved as earlier events.

Thomas v. Mississippi certiorari papers, including deputy clerk Robert Lilly’s October 26, 1964 affidavit, PDF pages 140, 141, 143.

Case

Charges: Sit-in at Livingston Park, Jackson — arrested July 6, 1961.
Arrested: Jul 6, 1961
Sentence: County Court docket 12,851: directed verdict for the defendant, March 22, 1962. The court disposition is not an independently verified physical-release date.
Convicted: No