Mississippi Criminal and Family Law Blog

According to Mississippi Today, one year after a law expanded parole eligibility to more people incarcerated in Mississippi prisons, the state’s parole grant rate has declined by more than a third, a sign criminal justice reform advocates say show the law isn’t being fully implemented. Senate Bill 2795, known as the Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act, became law in July 2021 with the goal of giving more people the opportunity to be heard by the Mississippi Parole Board and potentially be released from prison. As a result, about 5,700 additional people are expected to become parole eligible within the next five years, according to an estimate in the Corrections and Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force’s January report.

FWD.us, a criminal justice and immigration reform group, supported SB 2795. Once the law was implemented, results were encouraging; the parole grant rate climbed and the prison population rate declined to its lowest point in more than 20 years, the governor said. By November 2021, the parole grant rate reached a high of 93% and the board held over 1,000 parole hearings, according to numbers from the Mississippi Department of Corrections obtained by Mississippi Today. But soon after, parole rates and hearings began dropping each month. In July 2022, the most recent data available, the grant rate was 40% and the board held 633 hearings.

What are the Parole Rates as of Now?

Halloween is a fun family holiday that involves hundreds of years of tradition and enjoyment for those who participate. Halloween first originated from the ancient Celtic festivals where people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. This day has its importance in other areas as it is often marked as the end of summer and the summer harvest. October 31^st has long been considered the beginning of the cold dark winter. Similar to the Celtics, Hispanic cultures have long celebrated “Día de los Muertos” or the “day of the dead” on November 1^st. All though that sounds menacing, it is considered a time where relatives and ancestors visit loved ones here on earth. Additionally, here in the United States, in the early 1900’s when more and more people moved to the cities, and Halloween became a night of mischief and pranks.  Today, Halloween is for little children to go trick or treating, communities to get together, and people having parties and celebrations. However, remnants of the old traditions remain and even though the costumes and decorations can be spooky, the real horror is the rise in crime and the punishment some pay face for those crimes.

https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween

According to the NHTSA, 40% of the car accident fatalities are due to drinking and driving. Property crime is the most popular crime committed on Halloween and most of the crimes regard theft. Northeastern University, in a recent study, claims that violent crimes increase by as much as 50% on Halloween, two times the daily average.

The U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment grants American citizens the right to bear arms. However, with that right comes certain responsibilities to use the gun appropriately. In the U.S., theft is the most common property crime, and assault is the most common violent crime.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mississippi has had a higher gun mortality rate than any other state in the country. In 2020, Mississippi had a death rate of 28.6%, and with all of the gun related deaths that are on the news, it is likely that this number hasn’t decreased since 2020.

The Most Common Gun Crime Charges in Mississippi

Fake IDs are more common today than ever before. While some might argue that there is nothing wrong with a high school student using a fake ID to buy a six-pack of beer, this is still against the law. If Mississippi were to become lenient on this area of the law, we would soon be overwhelmed by fraud and deception. These laws exist because there are criminals out there who want to commit much worse crimes than simply buying a six-pack of beer while underage. A fake ID can allow you to steal someone’s identity, access prohibited areas, or even carry out terror attacks.

So, what are the crimes associated with buying a fake ID in Mississippi? Is it true that you can go to jail if you were simply trying to purchase alcohol while underage? What happens if you are caught running a fake ID operation? What if you are engaging in identity theft?

Examples of Fake ID Crimes

According to Mississippi Today, more people are being placed in prison in Mississippi per capita than any state or nation, including China, Russia, and Iran, according to the world population review.

Across the U.S., the number of those in prison in the U.S. is 16% lower today that before the pandemic, according to the vera institute of justice, but Mississippi’s rate is skyrocketing, rising more than 1,500 in less than six months. That population now exceeds 18,000—the highest rate since April 2020. “We have perfected throwing people away for long periods of time, and yet after decades and decades of this approach, Mississippians are more fearful about violent crime than any time i can remember” said cliff Johnson, director of the Macarthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law.

How Many Inmates are Incarcerated in Mississippi?