Bill > HB1131

This bill revises penalties for procuring prostitution in Mississippi, increasing fines for a first offense of paying for sexual services from $200 to $1,000 and for subsequent offenses from $1,000 to $2,000, while also mandating 100 hours of community service for any conviction under this provision. It also significantly increases penalties for promoting prostitution, which involves activities like enticing someone into prostitution, managing a prostitute, or facilitating prostitution, with fines up to $5,000 and imprisonment up to ten years for a first offense, and fines up to $20,000 and imprisonment up to twenty years for subsequent offenses. Crucially, if the person whose services are procured or promoted is a minor under 18, the penalties become much more severe, including lengthy prison sentences and substantial fines, with no defense for the minor's consent or the defendant's lack of knowledge about the minor's age. The bill also introduces provisions for identifying and assisting trafficked individuals, offering them immunity from prostitution charges and referring them to resources, and clarifies that prosecuting someone for prostitution or promoting prostitution does not prevent prosecution for other related crimes like human trafficking.

Justice

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/HB/HB1131.xml