As she steps into one of Shelby County's most visible criminal justice roles, Jerri Green says her focus is clear: to protect constitutional rights while addressing the challenges posed by a strained system.
On this week's episode of WKNO/Channel 10's "Behind the Headlines," Green, the interim Chief Public Defender for Shelby County, joined host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries. They discussed various topics, including jail overcrowding, bail policy, juvenile justice, and crime trends in Memphis.
Green was appointed to the interim position by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris following the retirement of longtime Chief Public Defender Phyllis Aluko at the end of January. Prior to this, Green served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Harris and is also a Memphis City Council member representing District 2. She stated that returning to the Public Defender's Office feels personal to her.
"I began my career as a public defender," Green said. "So for me, this felt like a full circle moment to be able to come home and help the people that help make me."
She takes on her role at a time when reported crime in Memphis has declined from its recent high. However, the Shelby County Jail is still grappling with overcrowding and court dockets are backed up. Recent enforcement efforts by multiple agencies have increased the number of individuals entering the system, including those with outstanding warrants, further pressuring both the jail and the court system.
"What we're seeing here that's unique in Memphis, of course, is what's happening with the task force and the overcrowding of the jails and things like that," she said.
Green described public defenders as "often overworked and understaffed and under-resourced," but said the mission remains unchanged.
"We want to make sure that we are providing zealous and ethical representation," she said. "My role in all of this is to continue to be the fighter for our institutional rights, because when we stand up for those, and we protect those for our clients, we protect them for all citizens."
Recent public debate has focused on bail and pretrial release, particularly concerning repeat offenders. Green pushed back on the idea that people with prior records are routinely being released.
"I think the data proves that they're not being released, and so we just have to deal in facts," she said. "Repeat offenders do get higher bails and bonds, and they are not being released pre-trial."
At the same time, she emphasized a core constitutional principle.
"We are all guaranteed this wonderful right because of our Constitution, of being innocent until proven guilty," Green said. "So we have to keep that core belief in mind as we proceed."
The discussion then shifted to juvenile justice, a field in which Green began her legal career. She emphasized that the difference between adult and juvenile courts is not only procedural but also philosophical.
“Adult court, the purpose is punishment,” she said. “Juvenile court is supposed to be based on rehabilitation.”
Barnes raised the criticism that focusing on rehabilitation, especially for young people accused of serious crimes, may be seen by some as “soft on crime.” Green rejected this framing.
“I don’t think it’s soft on crime, I think it’s smart on crime,” she said. “Again, do you want someone who will come out and continue to commit crimes and terrorize your neighborhood, or do you want someone who gets rehabilitated?”
For Green, rehabilitation is tied to long-term public safety. She noted that most incarcerated individuals eventually return to their communities.
“We’re never going to police our way out of these problems. We’re never going to lock people up away out of these problems because over 93% of them return to our communities. They are our neighbors.”
Green shared a story from her time as a juvenile public defender about a 12-year-old client charged with felony theft and aggravated burglary after running an extension cord from a neighbor’s apartment to power a space heater and TV for his sick brother.
“I knew right then when I had that case that we were not getting to the root cause of this problem,” she said. “We had already failed that mom, we had failed that little brother, and we were really failing this 12-year-old kid that now had two felonies and was in an orange jumpsuit.”
“If you actually go deeper, there are bigger problems that we have to solve,” she added.
While public defenders and prosecutors face off in court, Green said she believes the broader goal should be shared. Speaking about Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy, she said that although their roles are adversarial, the mission is not.
“I think that, you know, while we are adversaries in the courtroom, he and I hold special places in this and we need to make sure that the courtrooms and the justice is happening,” she said.
For now, Green says she is focused on evaluating the office from the inside, meeting with staff, judges, and stakeholders to understand what is working and where adjustments can be made. But she said the core mission of the Public Defender’s Office remains clear.
“We are absolutely about excellence over efficiency,” Green said. “You can’t think about the next 10 cases you’ll get. You have to think about the case that’s in front of you right now and fight 100% for that client.”
