Bill > HB1559

This bill modifies Mississippi's mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines by changing the effective date from July 1, 2014, to July 1, 1995, which expands the range of offenses subject to specific minimum time served requirements. Under the updated law, offenders convicted of nonviolent crimes must serve at least 25% of their sentence (or 10 years, whichever is less), while those convicted of violent crimes must serve 50% of their sentence (or 20 years, whichever is less). The bill also adds human trafficking to the list of exceptions for specific sentencing rules, alongside drug trafficking. Specific categories of offenders are still exempt from these guidelines, including those sentenced to life imprisonment, habitual offenders, sex offenders, and those convicted of certain specific violent crimes like robbery with a deadly weapon, drive-by shooting, and carjacking. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, and appears designed to provide more consistent and potentially longer minimum sentences for certain types of criminal offenses by broadening the time frame and adding human trafficking to the list of specially considered crimes.

Justice

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/HB/HB1559.xml