Bill > HB525

This bill amends Mississippi Code Section 97-3-101 to establish mandatory minimum prison sentences for the crime of sexual battery, specifically when the victim is under the age of sixteen (16). Under the proposed changes, individuals convicted of sexual battery under certain subsections of Section 97-3-95, when the victim is under 16, will face a minimum of five years imprisonment for a first offense and a minimum of ten years for a second or subsequent offense, with maximum sentences remaining at thirty and forty years respectively. Similar mandatory minimums of five years are also introduced for individuals between 18 and 21 years old convicted of sexual battery under Section 97-3-95(1)(c) if the victim is under 16, and for individuals 21 and older convicted under that same subsection if the victim is under 16. The bill also clarifies that existing provisions for other types of sexual battery convictions and for offenders under 18 remain in place, and it reiterates the court's ability to issue criminal sexual assault protection orders.

Justice

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/HB/HB0525.xml