It would make so much more sense to spend our resources helping people get back on their feet, helping them access treatment and job training, rather than leaving them to languish behind bars. Allen Russell: Marijuana Life Sentence Conviction Upheld In Miss. - NewsOne The Earned Parole Eligibility Act will let up to 3,000 Mississippi Mississippi Journalism and Education Group is a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization (EIN 85-1403937) for the state, devoted to going beyond partisanship and publishing solutions journalism for the Magnolia State and all of its people. Leading to overcrowded prisons and undue impacts throughout the United States. In Matthew 25, the scripture talks about the 2nd coming of the Lord and how hes going to separate the sheep from the goats, said Parole Board chairman Steve Pickett. There are a few crimes like armed robbery that require the inmate to serve at least 60% of their sentence. Latino said there are about 90 inmates in Mississippi who, like Drummer, are serving life-without-parole because of a third non-violent felony following earlier violent ones. We stand ready to continue working with legislators and state leadership on more common sense solutions, like changing the states harsh habitual sentencing laws, further safely reducing Mississippis prison population, and strengthening families and communities across our state., In a tweet thread explaining his decision to sign the Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act into law today, Gov. Without their combined efforts, the bill would not have become law.. 2795 . Anatomy of Journalistic Impact: FedEx Driver DMonterrio Gibsons Story, Activist Mulls FedEx Boycott for Treatment of Black Worker Chased and Fired On in Brookhaven. Brown is challenging the states habitual offender law that ensured she would receive life without parole before the U.S. Supreme Court, which will decide what action to take on the case after the justices conference on Friday. The inmate is sentenced as a habitual 121 offender under Sections 99-19-81 through 99-19-87; 122 2. Mississippis COVID-19 Recovery Is Real, Experts Say. As such, prisoners are still facing a health crisis in overcrowded complexes. Following his April 23, 2009, indictment for the sale of controlled substances, then-Madison/Rankin County District Attorney Michael Guest, who now represents Mississippis third district at the national assembly, amended the indictment. The third felony doesnt have to be violent for the law to take effect. Non-violent habitual offenders (aka "little" habitual) may now petition the sentencing court for parole eligibility. It also notes that though the statute was amended in 2014 to give an updated definition of violent crime, which includes armed robbery, it still isnt clear on whether that would apply to someone convicted as an accessory. Under the little law, someone is sentenced to the maximum possible prison sentence upon conviction of their third felony. Asked about the governor's thoughts towards reforming habitual offender laws, press secretary Bailey Martin wrote in a June 11 email, "Governor Reeves believes that Mississippi should focus on a full, multi-year implementation of the criminal justice reforms passed in 2014 and 2021 before any additional legislation regarding habitual . Allowing the opportunity for parole will prevent people from serving absurdly long sentences for non-violent crimes. High rates of imprisonment are inherently disastrous. Mississippi Code 97-3-2 listed violent crimes as carjacking, murder, drive-by shooting, shooting into a dwelling and rape. 99-19-81, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows: 99-19-81. In 2021, as a Mississippi Free Press reporter, he was named the Diamond Journalist of the Year for seven southern U.S. states in the Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Awards. Because he had two previous convictions relating to the sale of controlled substances, his sentencing was under both Mississippi Code 4129147 and 99-19-81. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. There is no parole. The new law provides that violent offenders are eligible for parole after serving 50% of their sentence or twenty years, whichever is shorter. Additionally, in order for a person to be approved for parole or probation, a judge must sign off on the request. Fwd.us Mississippi Director Alesha Judkins hailed lawmakers recognizing the need to reform the states habitual-offenders penalties and highlighted the plight of Paul Houser, 58. The bill provides for a change to Mississippi Code 99-19-81 and Mississippi Code 99-19-83 for habitual sentencing to be activated only when a defendant commits a violent offense as defined by Mississippi Code 97-3-2, and one of the two previous felony convictions was a violent offense. It is in the best interest of all of us that every state with habitual offender laws begins to take the steps to remove them. HB 981 gives people sentenced as habitual offenders an option after they have served the lesser of 20% or 15 years of their sentence. Unfortunately, the passage of this bill does not guarantee all inmates the opportunity for parole. Overcrowding in prison systems is synonymous with human rights violations. After petitioners urged Reeves to grant Drummer a pardon last year, the governor said he did not plan to do so at the time. I dont believe I deserve to be thrown away in prison and left in here to die, she said. Drummer and Brown could be moms again and Mississippians could live up to our Christian ideals. Hollins anticipated release date from the Mississippi Department of Corrections custody is 2070 when he will be 95 years old. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. Mississippi Code 4129147 mandates a doubling of the sentence for a second or subsequent drug offense. Mississippi could prosper better if they werent paying for all these people in prison.. The new law, known as the Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act, loosens Mississippis parole requirements, which are currently among the most restrictive in the nation. A Mississippi man will continue to serve a life sentence for a pot bust after a court upheld the lengthy term. Punishments to fit the crime: Habitual offender laws can result in Mississippi has some of the highest rates of incarceration in the country. His son Paul Jr. said he regrets not having his father around to experience life with him. Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. The #msleg addressed ur issue and sent you a bill you could sign, he wrote. We are also devastated that, for the second year in a row, legislators failed to pass reforms to the states harmful habitual sentencing laws, the organization said in an April 1 statement. Judkins told the Mississippi Free Press that under Mississippi Code 99-19-81 and 41-29-147, prosecutors can add decades in prison and even life imprisonment. According to uscourts.gov, the U.S. Supreme Court hears about 100-150 of the more than 7,000 cases it is asked to review in a year. Previously the state reporter at the Jackson Free Press, he drove national headlines and conversations with award-winning reporting about segregation academies. in 2008a requirement under Mississippis three-strike law; Drummer had already served time for two prior felony convictions. Photo courtesy Mississippi Department of Corrections Before the Aug. 1 call, Madison County Deputy Trey Curtis had wired Hewitt with an audiovisual recording device. Mississippi's habitual offender laws were passed in the 1990s, when American society was seeing higher-than-average crime rates and many states imposed "three strikes" laws. State law allows for a life sentence without parole if a person has spent a year in prison on two separate felonies, one of which must be a violent offense, according to the Associated Press/Report for America.