Biography: John Tyson Is Attacking Crime NOW
Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson, Jr. is a proven crime fighter and innovator.
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He is responsible for more than 25,000 felony convictions. When he became district attorney for Mobile County 12 years ago, he decided it took too long to complete criminal cases so he used technology and modern management techniques to cut the time in half. When he encountered elderly crime victims who couldn't afford to repair their damaged homes, he organized volunteers to provide repairs and recovery help. When violence at schools became a problem, he taught teachers how to use our laws to maintain discipline and backed them up by intervening when teachers believed discipline problem might lead to violence. John is running for Alabama Attorney General because he believes we can't wait any longer to strike back at crime. And because he knows crime must be defeated where it happens -- in our local communities. His "Attack Crime Now" Initiatives help citizens and local law enforcement fight crime now during his campaign for Attorney General and prove he will fight crime as Attorney General. His campaign tells the truth about the dangers of crime and shares successful crime fighting techniques with citizens and local law enforcement across the state. As Attorney General, John will put the authority of the Attorney General's Office to work for citizens and local law enforcement. |
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Accomplishments as Mobile County District Attorney:
Fast, Effective Prosecution:
Responsible for more than 25,000 felony convictions
634 Child abuse convictions
419 homicide convictions
165 white-collar crime convictions
$4.7 million in white-collar crime restitution ordered
Tough sentences
$22,062,799 in worthless checks recovered
Preventing Crime Before It Happens
22,329 families helped with school truancy problems
4,000 public school teachers helped with maintaining school discipline
65,000 young people taught the dangers of juvenile crime
626 families helped with family, health, school problems
18 newborns in Alabama saved from death through abandonment
3,976 students with school discipline problems helped
161,135 crime victims helped
Awards/Recognition
District Attorney of the Year: John Tyson, Jr. was named 2004 District Attorney of the Year by the Alabama District Attorney's Association.
JUVENILE CRIME INTERVENTION: John Tyson, Jr. was invited to present information about his "Make The Right Choice" program to the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice, a coalition of senior policy makers from a dozen federal agencies.
John's "Make The Right Choice" program was named a best practice by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for work with a Section 8 housing development.
John's "Make The Right Choice" program received a Director's Community Leadership Award from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Invited presentations about "Make The Right Choice" were made to the National Advocacy Council's Leadership Summit in South Carolina and to the National Truancy Summit in Rhode Island.
PROTECTING NEWBORNS: John's Secret Safe Place For Newborns program was featured in the book "50 Strategies to Prevent Violent Domestic Crimes" published by the National Crime Prevention Council.
Alabama named Secret Safe Place for Newborns its 2002 winner of its Innovations Award, an honor bestowed by the state's child advocacy and social services agencies.
Secret Safe Place for Newborns was named a finalist in the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award program sponsored by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
VICTIM SERVICES: The Mobile County District Attorney's Office received a grant from the Office for Victims to Crime to establish a national demonstration site for the "Good Samaritans" program developed by John Tyson.
25 Years of Government Service
14 Years as Member of the Alabama State Board of Education
1980 - Elected to the Alabama State Board of Education
1984 Re-elected
1986 Re-elected
1990 Re-elected
12 Years As Mobile County District Attorney
1994 Appointed Mobile County District Attorney
1998 Elected Mobile County District Attorney
2004 Re-elected Mobile County District Attorney
Presiding officer of Alabama State Board of Education in 1985-1994
State of Alabama Tenure Study Task Force 1981
Commission on the Future of the Juvenile Justice System, Alabama
Judicial Study Commission 1989
State of Alabama Task Force on Higher Education 1991
State of Alabama Tax Reform Task Force 1991
State of Alabama Education Reform Task Force 1993
Alabama Law Institute 1993
Ex-officio member, Board of Trustees, University of South Alabama 1993-04
Board Member, Executive Committee Member, Vice President, President of Alabama District Attorneys Association
Member, National District Attorneys Association
Presenter on Innovations in Prosecution to National District Attorneys Assn. on several occasions
Civic And Community Volunteer Service
Board Chairman, Secret Safe Place For Newborns, Inc.
Former Board Member, Contact Mobile, Inc.
Former Board Member, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Mobile, Inc.
Former Board Member, Family Counseling Center of Mobile
Board Member, South Alabama Medical Science Foundation
Board Member, Penelope House
Former Board Member, Child Advocacy Center
Board Member, Volunteers of America South Alabama, Inc.
Chairman, Justice Division 1996 United Way of Southwest Alabama, Inc. Campaign
Former Board Member, Alabama Association of School Boards
Former Board Member, Mobile Bay Area Partnership for Youth
Former Board Member, South Alabama Institute
Former Board Member and President, University of South Alabama National Alumni Association
Professional Affiliations
Member, Alabama Bar Association
Member, Mobile Bar Association
Professional Background
District Attorney, 13th Judicial Circuit, Mobile County, Alabama 1994 to present
Attorney and Partner, Tyson & Tyson, Mobile, Alabama 1978-1994
Adjunct Assist Professor, Law of Public Education, Department of Educational Leadership & Foundations, College of Education, University of South Alabama 1991-1993
Faculty, National College of District Attorneys
Education
Juris Doctor, University of Alabama 1978
Bachelor of Arts, University of South Alabama 1974
President of Student Government Association at University of South Alabama 1973-1974
Murphy High School 1970
Family
Married 30 years, two daughters