  Magnetized jets in GRBs and AGNs are thought to be efficient accelerators of
particles, however, the process responsible for the acceleration is still a
matter of active debate. In this work, we study the kink-instability in
non-rotating force-free jets using first-principle particle-in-cell
simulations. We obtain similar overall evolution of the instability as found in
MHD simulations. The instability first generates large scale current sheets,
which at later times break up into small-scale turbulence. Reconnection in
these sheets proceeds in the strong guide field regime, which results in a
formation of steep power laws in the particle spectra. Later evolution shows
heating of the plasma, which is driven by small-amplitude turbulence induced by
the kink instability. These two processes energize particles due to a
combination of ideal and non-ideal electric fields.
