The law also contains a significant change for non-violent offenders. When a prison has breached its capacity resources become scarcer, the treatment of prisoners worsens, and violence and sickness skyrocket. This was commonly referred to as good time and was completely distinct from parole. According to data analyzed by The Appeal, as of August 4, 2021, there were nearly 600 people in Mississippi who were serving 20 years or more with no parole date and were considered habitual offenders. (1) Every prisoner who has been convicted of any offense against the State of Mississippi, and is confined in the execution of a judgment of such conviction in the Mississippi Department of Corrections for a definite term or terms of one (1) year or over, or for the term of his or her natural life, whose record of conduct shows that such prisoner Its members, who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, will decide whether or not to grant parole by assessing factors such as inmate behavior. Steffey said the fact the statute has been amended to give a more clear definition of what is a violent crime tells the court that deciding this case wouldnt be a wholesale shake up to the states criminal justice system, only affecting a finite group of people who are similarly situated to Brown. The Mississippi Free Press is a project of the Mississippi Journalism and Education Group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit journalism organization (EIN 85-1403937). The police placed Wilson in a room at Airport Inn (716 Highway 80 E. Flowood) and gave her $200 on Dec. 28, 2008. An automated email reply on Thursday from Pillow indicated that he will not be back in office until Feb. 16, and has only periodic access to email until then. And just because it seems an offender should be eligible based on time served doesnt mean theyll automatically be granted parole. Bain, who spoke to the Mississippi Free Press on Monday, Jan. 31, said the bill provides a basis for optimism to individuals condemned as repeat offenders. In order to truly combat the harms of the MS prison complex, habitual offender laws must be mitigated. 99-19-81, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows: 99-19-81. By 2000, more than 18,000 Mississippians lived behind bars. Delbert Hosemann and Speaker Philip Gunn. The bill, known as SB2795, would mitigate both aforementioned codes and allows prisoners the opportunity for parole. One of the reasons Mississippi has such high levels of incarceration is due to its habitual offender laws. So, we take each one individually.. To get a lesser punishment, Wilson agreed to be a confidential informant for the Flowood police and bait a cocaine seller. Were not going to suddenly see a 25% reduction in the prison population. Its death by mother nature., Will Mississippi change strict parole laws? 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. S.B. Felony crimes in Mississippi include possessing certain amount of drug, drug sale, rape, sexual violence, murder, manslaughter, domestic violence and robbery. His whole family could possibly be gone when he gets out of jail, Hollins brother, Larry, told FWD.us. However, because he received his third conviction for possession of marijuana, the state was able to sentence him to serve a 30-year mandatory sentence under the habitual offender statute. Mississippi Code 4129147 mandates a doubling of the sentence for a second or subsequent drug offense. On Oct. 6, 2010, the jury saw all of this on film, leading to a guilty verdict. Rep. Clark told the Mississippi Free Press in a Jan. 31 phone interview that his conversations with prosecutors and judges inspired his putting forth HB 87. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Email story tips to Kayode Crown at. Guest charged Hollins as an habitual offender, which attracts enhanced punishment under both Mississippi Code 99-19-81 for being convicted for a felony twice before and under Mississippi Code 4129147 for a subsequent drug offense. I personally dont think there ought to be such a thing as a mandatory life sentence because I believe in the fundamental Christian teaching that everybody is subject to change and is able to reform their lives, he said. Send tips to. Bill SB2795 is a small nudge in the right direction. They found drug paraphernaliawhich can be means of inhaling or injecting a controlled substancein her vehicle. Now is the time to redeem ourselves, and now is the time for our leaders to act. Kendall Martin was sentenced to 60 years in prison for possession of marijuana without the possibility of parole. I trust my Parole Board appointees to make wise decisions. Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act. Early Releases Could Save Mississippi Nearly $1 Billion Mississippi implemented the restrictive parole eligibility requirements and its habitual offender law in the 1990s as a "tough-on-crime" wave swept the nation, including the federal government. Though he doesnt know how far reaching the impact of a decision would be, Waide thinks its an important one to be decided. (a) Habitual offenders. Brown said, if she were out of prison, shed be with her children and grandchildren and taking care of her aging mother. After both houses of the Mississippi Legislature approved the Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act earlier this month, FWD.us sounded a bittersweet note as it celebrated the bills passage. Additionally, in order for a person to be approved for parole or probation, a judge must sign off on the request. Mississippis U.S. House delegation, which was made up of five Democrats at the time, split on the 1994 bill, with two members voting for it and three against. Pickett says the law change will make around 4,000 offenders eligible for parole. Furthermore, these codes remove a persons ability to even be considered for parole or probation. Mississippi may have more current or accurate information. Gov. Drummer was convicted of possessing less than two ounces of marijuana and sentenced to life without parole under Mississippis habitual offender law. The Mississippi Free Press is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) focused on telling stories that center all Mississippians. Like a number of other states, Mississippi has two habitual offender laws, referred to as the big and little laws. Prior to this law, prisoners convicted of a "crime of violence as defined by statute were not eligible for parole but were only eligible for earned release supervision after serving 50% of their sentence. The petition argues that the void for vagueness issue was not raised, as the court cases the appellate court relied on had not yet been decided. The hopeful news for criminal-justice reforms came hours after the U.S. Supreme Court, in an opinion authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, dealt a blow to some advocates with its ruling in Jones v. Mississippi by declining to reverse a life-without-parole sentence for a Mississippi inmate who was convicted at age 15. Mississippi Code 97-3-2 listed violent crimes as carjacking, murder, drive-by shooting, shooting into a dwelling and rape. We observed as the board asked questions of an offender Wednesday, ranging from who hed live with if released, to whether hed had any rule violations while incarcerated. Boyd then expected to face seven years imprisonment for that crime. There have been numerous studies for years that habitual offender laws are not effective in deterring criminal behavior nor in capturing the high-level criminals these laws were designed to catch. Mississippi Code 99-19-81 prescribed the maximum sentence, which comes without the possibility of parole, for a third felony conviction. But lawmakers opted for the narrower reforms this year after Gov. Only one of the bills made it past the committee levelBains House Bill 981. He's one of 2,600 people incarcerated as a result of the state's three strikes laws. Tate Reeves to pardon a woman sentenced to life in prison without parole as a habitual offender for . Mississippi has one of the most severe habitual offender laws in the nation. Over 1,000 people for every 100,000 are in some form of prison or detention center. Anything that diminishes the number of people serving habitual life sentences is good for society and good for the individual.. And unless our lawmakers implement much-needed reforms, they will never go home. It should be seen as a signal to the Department of Justice that we are prepared to get our own house in order, without costly federal intervention, Latino, Empower Mississippis president, said in his statement this afternoon. Our mission is to educate the public on the healing properties of natural herbs and plants. Maybe not in this lifetime Ill ever be able to sit in a boat and fish with him again, or just actually sit at the kitchen table and have a home-cooked meal with him., Judkins said Mississippis habitual-offenders laws contribute to making the state one of the nations highest in incarceration. This is important for habitual drug offenders. 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. Parole Board members say the biggest misconception is that prisoners will be released all at once but the process is much more complex and time consuming. The judge who presided over her robbery conviction found she did not commit a crime of violence because she did not possess the weapon used and was not physically present at the robbery. 2795 was not an easy call for me. His communications director, Rob Pillow, at press time, has not replied to Wednesday, Feb. 9, and Thursday, Feb. 10, emails for comments on this story. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual As stated in Section 2(a) of the bill, No person sentenced as a confirmed and habitual criminal under the provisions of Sections 99-19-81 through 99-19-87 shall be eligible for parole.. After the mid-decade changes, though, the states inmate population skyrocketedeven as the states overall population stagnated. As of 2020, there were around 80 people serving life sentences in Mississippi under the big habitual offender law for a nonviolent third felony, according to The Clarion Ledger. House burglary and manslaughter are cases that the parole board, until July 1, have not seen," added Pickett. Mississippi's habitual offender laws are causing "extreme" prison sentences that are disproportionately affecting African American men and are costing the state millions of dollars for decades of incarceration, according to a new report released Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, by a nonprofit . The study found that the Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act will save at least $584 million with a low parole grant rate or as much as $988 million over a 30-year-period with a moderate parole grant rate., In signing this bill, Gov. As such, prisoners are still facing a health crisis in overcrowded complexes. This is what the habitual sentencing law does. Review these facts about the habitual offender law if you or a loved one faces criminal prosecution in Mississippi. Nine hundred and six people received 20 or more years in prison, There are over 175 people serving 20+ year little. Russell did more than eight years in prison on two home burglary charges and spent another two years in the clink after a conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm, according to the Mississippi Court of Appeals ruling. Boyd then presented the informant with two ziplock bags containing 35.5 grams of marijuana in exchange at a house in Madison County. A majority of judges in Mississippi are still abiding by the habitual offender laws and not granting requests from habitual offenders. The first step would be to draft new legislation to allow habitual offenders the opportunity for parole. Unfortunately, other states that have enacted three-strikes rules still maintain persecution of non-violent drug crimes. Terms of the habitual offender law Award-winning News Editor Ashton Pittman, a native of the South Mississippi Pine Belt, studied journalism and political science at the University of Southern Mississippi. My family began in 1996. If youre going to still hold that against (the defendant) and come back 10 years later and sentence (him, and say) Hey, what you did in 1995, is going to have an effect on what we sentence you to today,' he added. Hewitt was calling Mitchell to buy $40 crack cocaine. We give prosecutors the sole. You can read more about Kendalls case here. Almost 36,000 people have signed a Change.Org petition asking Gov. FOCUS: 2022 Elections Housing & Evictions #MSWelfare Scandal Jackson Water Abortion Race & Racism Policing Incarceration. Advocates have noted this can lead to life sentences for anything from drug charges to shoplifting. Two days before Christmas in 2008, Gregory Antonio Hollins, now 46 years old, sold Jessica Wilson 1.5 grams of cocaine for $200 in Rankin County. Nearly 250 people are serving 20+ year habitual penalties for nonviolent offenses, the FWD.us report added. A habitual criminal offender, also known as a repeat offender, refers to a person who has been previously convicted of one or more crimes in the past and is currently facing new charges.Although many habitual offenders tend to commit the same type of crime over and over again, a person does not necessarily have to commit the same crime in order to be called a . Despite some middling criminal justice reforms in recent years, the Mississippi Department of Corrections reported that 17,229 inmates live in all the states jails and prisons as of April 2021. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. To me, its just an unfair law., His mother, Julie, said that Mississippi will be better without those laws. It will take effect on July 1. lawmakers must continue to work on changing the states harsh habitual sentencing laws, further safely reducing Mississippis prison population, and strengthening families and communities across our state., I dont know all the facts of the case, but I am not considering pardoning her or anyone else at this time,. I had been out of jail on my armed robbery charge for 20 years, was working, had a job, worked every day and I was raising a family. Allowing the opportunity for parole will prevent people from serving absurdly long sentences for non-violent crimes. You're all set! Any inmate that has not been convicted of a crime of violence may petition the trial court for parole eligibility after serving only 25% of their sentence. We apologize for this error. It will give some of the habitual offenders the right to be reassessed; it will give them a right to be re-sentenced and, you know, quite frankly, to give them some hope of getting out, which makes it easier for MDOC to manage those types of offenders, Bain said. Despite some middling criminal justice reforms in recent years, the Mississippi Department of Corrections reported that, 17,229 inmates live in all the states jails and prisons, Along with looking at changes to the states habitual offender laws, he said, the organization is studying accomplishments in. While this would be a major improvement to the current legislation, the true end goal MS should have is the removal of habitual offender laws entirely. All Rights Reserved. The habitual sentencing law is used by district attorneys to prosecute people for all offenses, including nonviolent crimes like shoplifting or drug possession. He gets 60 years, and Ill be 90 years old. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, There is a newer version of the Mississippi Code, Chapter 19 - JUDGMENT, SENTENCE, AND EXECUTION. So offering some type of loopback for how far back the prosecutor can go before they charge you as a habitual offender (will help).. Even with the habitual law, Im trying to figure out how does anyone get to come up and determine (that) just because this guy has been in trouble two times or three times, then hey, lets just throw him away; the time (served) didnt mean (anything),' Larry said in a FWD.us video posted to Youtube in 2019. Push coming across political spectrum. The Court of Appeals held that the Circuit Court erred by denying Alexander's motions for funds to hire a mitigation investigator and an adolescent-development psychologist for his Miller v. For example, Washington state was one of the first states to implement three-strikes legislation, which does not encompass non-violent drug-related offenses. These laws often mandate long jail sentences for non-violent crimes, such as drug-related offenses. The Mississippi Free Press is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) focused on telling stories that center all Mississippians. 2795 came too late to save the dozens of people who were not eligible for parole and died in prison since legislators started working on these reforms. The legislations primary sponsor, Sen. Juan Barnett, a Heidelberg Democrat, spearheaded the effort to change the parole law with co-sponsors Sen. Robert Jackson, D-Marks; Daniel Sparks, R-Cleveland; Albert Butler, D-Port Gibson; Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula; Sampson Jackson II, D-Preston; and Sarita Simmons, D-Jackson. Mississippi's Top Court Upholds Life Sentence For Weed Conviction By 'Habitual Offender' Russell Allen was found guilty in 2019 of being in possession of less than 2.5 ounces of weed. 2795 . 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. Through our taxes, you and I are paying to support an aging prison population. There is no parole. Allen Russells life sentence was upheld by a state appeals court Tuesday due to his habitual offender status from past run-ins with the law. The third felony doesnt have to be violent for the law to take effect. Many of those who pushed for parole reform referenced the cost savings to the state taxpayers, but board member Jim Cooper says that wont play into their decisions. She called Hollins, whom she knows only by his nicknameTefalon, from her room. These laws often mandate long jail sentences for non-violent crimes, such as drug-related offenses. He estimated that more than one in 10 prison inmates in Mississippi are there with enhanced sentences as habitual offenders., And some of those are doing life for minor drug offenses, he added. And right now, we are not extending that same grace and mercy to our fellow incarcerated Mississippians. The habitual sentencing law is used by district attorneys to prosecute people for all offenses, including nonviolent crimes like shoplifting or drug possession. At the time of Browns conviction, the Mississippi statute did not provide a definition as to what constitutes a violent crime, the petition argues. But, at the end of the day, I believe it meets my standard for a measured approach, & with proper implementation, it can be a net positive for Mississippi.. I might not even be here. The Madison Circuit Court based its sentencing on Mississippi Code 4129147. In 2013, the Mississippi Supreme Court, in a rebuke to Guests action modifying the indictment after the jury found Boyd guilty, said it constituted unfair surprise and remanded the case to Madison County Circuit Court for resentencing. Until May 5, 2006, 23 years later, Houser had no other felony on his record. Mississippi has the second highest imprisonment rate in the country, and this habitual sentencing law is a big part of the problem. to: judiciary b. by: representative clark. Browns attorney, Jim Waide of Tupelo, is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court on the grounds that what is defined as a violent crime under the statute is unconstitutionally vague. Mississippi Clarion Ledger. My faith reminds me I'm only saved because of God's grace and mercy. case or situation. The inmate is sentenced as a habitual 121 offender under Sections 99-19-81 through 99-19-87; 122 2. , making early release possible for thousands of non-habitual offenders. We apologize for this error. Rep. Bain also proposed HB 0413, which died in committee, which would have modified Mississippi Code 99-19-81 to have the habitual-offenders sentence applied to a crime committed within 15 years of the previous two offenses. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. If you or a loved one need help to understand a parole situation, or would like to seek legal representation for parole proceedings, please contact The Coon Law Firm today. Copyright 2021 WLBT. It also argues that the ruling of Welch v. United States on April 18, 2016, held that this standard would be applied retroactively as well. S.B. You can read more about Chriss story here. This is just one important step, Judkins said in todays FWD.us statement today. Our hard-earned tax dollars are being used to lock these women up. For Mississippi . 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 . She was arrested after less than $20 of cocaine fell out of her pocket. Housers stepmother Pasty, his mom Julie and son Paul shared thoughts on the impact of the jail sentence on them in an FWD.us report in 2019. 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. They have declined to hear the case, he said, while the U.S. District Court decided the case was without merit. This resulted in thousands of prisoners and prison staff becoming infected. When Tameka Drummer celebrates her 47th birthday inside Rankin Countys Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in three days, she will be no closer to leaving prison than she was on her 37th birthday. This is a smart on crime, soft on taxpayer conservative reform., Among those who deserve immense credit in this process are Reps. Nick Bain and Kevin Horan, Sens. Theres very little doubt that he had an addiction problem, but the end result of it is that he gets put in prison for the rest of his life, Latino said. Sex offenders, habitual offenders and those that have committed capital offenses won't be seen. The court held in 2015 that the definition was unconstitutionally vague, as it is left uncertain how to estimate risk of a crime and how much risk would be necessary for the label to apply, according to the petition. It will take effect on July 1. You got my 40? Ronnie Hewitt asked Jermaine Mitchell, who was then 29 years old, on the phone on Aug. 1, 2009. Mississippi Code 99-19-81 and Mississippi Code 99-19-83 are the two main ones that lawmakers are trying to adjust. Drummer'ssentence started when her little boy was only 4years old; hes now 16. Nearly 80% of those people are 40 or older, and 27% of them are 55 or older. Life without parole, people dont realize life without parole is a death sentence. In October 2009, Tommy Jones, then a lieutenant in the Madison County sheriffs Departments narcotics division, used a confidential informant to trap Dwayne Boyd. Gregory Hollins brother, Larry, said that the law of habitual offenders confused him. One of the reasons Mississippi has such high levels of incarceration is due to its habitual offender laws. His tentative release date is 2129 at age 148. With the legislative maelstrom, you have to make decisions about what is going to move and what is possible in a given legislative session, and I think there was more appetite to take up parole reform as a priority this year as opposed to the habitual reform issue, Latino told the Mississippi Free Press. When Tameka Drummer celebrates her 47th birthday inside Rankin Countys Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in three days, she will be no closer to leaving prison than she was on her 37th birthday. Someone with two prior felony convictions gets the maximum sentence for the crimes as a habitual offender. Second chances are good, he wrote, but knee-jerk efforts can harm public safety., This bill expands parole eligiblity for somebut it does not guarantee it! These are laws that require harsher sentencing for perceived repeated offenders. Legislative deadlines last month killed a bill that would have made parole possible for Drummer and hundreds of inmates like her, but other inmates and families could get a reprieve after Gov. There is plenty of strong weed out there, but some, If you are consuming cannabis and THC, it is essen, CBD and THC are both phytocannabinoids that come f, incarcerated for marijuana-related offenses. He cited Mississippi Code 99-19-81 due to the conviction being a third felony offense and Mississippi Code 41-29-147 because Houser was a subsequent drug offender, the Mississippi Appeals Court stated in its Aug. 29, 2009, opinion affirming the sentence. The money that it takes to incarcerate someone is never a factor. John McDonald is just one of many other victims of Mississippis harsh habitual offender law. This year, our state legislature could strengthen pending bills and pass reforms to limit harsh habitual sentences, and to expand who is eligible for parole, to ensure that more people have the opportunity to go home one day. The judge who presided over her drug charge said the enhanced sentencing applied to Brown even though she was guilty as an accessory, because state law makes an accomplice guilty as principal. Today is a big day for Mississippians across the state, particularly for people and families who sadly, know firsthand just how devastating the states incarceration crisis is, and who have, alongside other advocates, pushed to ensure meaningful opportunities for release for their loved ones, FWD.us Mississippi State Director Alesha Judkins said in a statement on behalf of the pro-criminal justice reform organization today. The Mississippi Court of Appeals wrote in 2012 that Dwayne Boyd was convicted of the sale of marijuana, greater than thirty grams but less than one kilogram, within 1,500 feet of a school or within 1,000 feet of the real property of a school.. And there is no time cut off for how far back you can go, she added. We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. Two people that may never go home again are Tameka Drummer and Patricia Brown. Legislative deadlines last month killed a bill that would have made parole possible for Drummer and hundreds of inmates like her, but other inmates and families could get a reprieve after Gov. HB 981 gives people sentenced as habitual offenders an option after they have served the lesser of 20% or 15 years of their sentence. Mississippi, like states across the country, followed the national trend with its own tough-on-crime reforms in 1995. Unknown to Mitchell, Hewitt was acting as a Madison County Sheriff Department informant. Inaction on habitual laws mean that individuals like Tameka Drummer, who is serving a habitual life sentence for marijuana possession, and Paul Houser, who is serving a 60-year habitual sentence for a drug conviction, remain indefensibly behind bars. The estimate refers to a 30-year period, not a single year. It will also make life-imprisonment-without-parole for an habitual offender under Mississippi Code 99-19-83 applicable only on conviction of a crime of violence. Pickett says the law change will make around 4,000 offenders eligible for parole. Latino cautioned that the new laws full impact will not manifest immediately. The primary changes will be non-violent drug offenses. FWD.us agreed that there is much more work to do. "The primary changes will be non-violent drug offenses. That means there will be a forum in which evidence supporting and contesting release will be considered. 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. A judge sentenced her to life in prison without the possibility of parole for felony marijuana possession in 2008a requirement under Mississippis three-strike law; Drummer had already served time for two prior felony convictions. A judge sentenced her to, life in prison without the possibility of parole for felony marijuana possession. or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. He has won numerous awards, including Outstanding New Journalist in the South, for his work covering immigration raids, abortion battles and even former Gov.
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