Jackson Free Press

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood wants to strengthen his agency's Vulnerable Adult Unit by raising some traffic citations by $1.

Hood created the Vulnerable Adult Unit in 2001 in response to revisions in the Mississippi Vulnerable Adults Act. The unit investigates abuse allegations of people impaired with mental or physical illness.

The unit investigates and prosecutes alleged abuse of Alzheimer's patients, for example, who suffer lack of food, clothing, adequate shelter and other services, in addition to cases of alleged physical abuse, mental anguish and sexual abuse.

Hood's spokeswoman Jan Schaefer said last week that the unit is significantly understaffed and incapable of handling the number of cases received.

"Currently, our office has only two investigators and one lawyer to handle approximately 2,700 complaints," Scheafer said. "Our office has experienced a 268 percent increase in complaints from fiscal year 2005 to fiscal year 2010."

The unit also deals with allegations of illegal or improper use of a vulnerable adult's resources for profit or advantage. The allegations include perpetrators raiding a vulnerable adult's bank account, even with the victim's agreement, if the victim is an adult suffering mental difficulties.

In addition to prosecution and investigative work, the unit also trains law enforcement officers, judges, district attorneys, state agencies and investigators at the Department of Human Services on signs of mistreatment or exploitation of vulnerable adults.

The unit does not deal with complaints of abuse or neglect of patients living in health-care facilities, such as nursing homes or personal-care homes. Hood's Medicaid Fraud Unit deals with those issues, and receives about 1,600 complaints a year on alleged violations, the unit is currently conducting about 200 investigations in Jackson, according to Hood.

The proposed traffic-citation fee increase could go to the Judiciary A or Ways and Means Committees in state Legislature, but Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, who frequently
supports Hood's initiatives, said he was not sure if the bill would survive the legislature this year.

"Economic issues are such a problem, I can't bet on the chances of any money bill this year," Moak said.