Bill > HB232

This bill modifies Mississippi's habitual offender law by excluding drug offenses and nonviolent crimes from being counted when determining whether a person has two prior convictions that would trigger enhanced sentencing. Specifically, the bill amends two sections of the Mississippi Code (99-19-81 and 99-19-83) to prevent drug and nonviolent criminal convictions from being used to classify someone as a habitual offender. The bill defines "nonviolent crime" as any crime not listed under Section 97-3-2 (which details violent crimes). Currently, the habitual offender law imposes maximum or life sentences for individuals with multiple prior felony convictions, but this amendment would prevent drug and nonviolent offenses from contributing to that calculation. This means that individuals with prior drug or nonviolent criminal convictions would have those convictions disregarded when determining whether they meet the habitual offender threshold. The changes will take effect on July 1, 2025, potentially providing more lenient sentencing options for individuals with certain types of criminal histories.

Justice

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/HB/HB0232.xml