Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The result: Based on the habitual offender law in Mississippi, the Rankin County district court sentenced Hollins to 60 years in prison without the possibility of parole after trial in 2010 at age 35, the Mississippi Appeals Court explained in its 2012 opinion on the case. This bill, which had been vetoed the previous year, is a huge step in the right direction for MS. Like a number of other states, Mississippi has two habitual offender laws, referred to as the big and little laws. 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. Written. Mississippi may have more current or accurate information. Sen. Wiggins, one of the legislations sponsors, thanked the governor in a tweet today. 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. To me, its just an unfair law., His mother, Julie, said that Mississippi will be better without those laws. She told him on the phone that she wanted to buy $200 worth of cocaine. These laws often mandate long jail sentences for non-violent crimes, such as drug-related offenses. I think this sends a signal to the Department of Justice that were taking these problems seriously both administratively and through policy, Latino said this afternoon. Housers second and third drug-related offense happened within a few weekson May 5, 2006, and June 26, 2006when he was 45. The Madison Circuit Court based its sentencing on Mississippi Code 4129147. In Mississippi, someone facing a conviction for a second drug offense faces twice the maximum years in prison. And I would like to see the habitual law go away. Gregory Hollins brother, Larry, said that the law of habitual offenders confused him. I dont believe I deserve to be thrown away in prison and left in here to die, she said. His first offense occurred when he was 19 years old. Overcrowded prisons lead to poor conditions, a lack of resources, and an economic drain as well as an incalculable impact on affected communities. Someone with two prior felony convictions gets the maximum sentence for the crimes as a habitual offender. And there is no time cut off for how far back you can go, she added. These laws often mandate long jail sentences for non-violent crimes, such as drug-related offenses. We have over 2,600 people serving sentences under the habitual law. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The law also contains a significant change for non-violent offenders. We give prosecutors the sole. Currently, a few laws in the Mississippi justice system mandate minimum sentencing for habitual offenders. House Bill 796 would have ended the practice of sentencing people with prior violent felonies to life in prison without parole on the basis of a non-violent third felonythe exact scenario that resulted in Drummers sentence. 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.. 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. Follow on Twitter @ashtonpittman. Hewitt entered the house, and Mitchell gave him a small bag of cocaine in exchange for $40. My faith reminds me I'm only saved because of God's grace and mercy. Our hard-earned tax dollars are being used to lock these women up. or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. 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. Today, Latino said, his organization is celebrating the parole eligibility changes, which he emphasized is a major step that should offer Mississippians hope. Someone who served their time for a violent felony years ago is still subject to life without parole for a nonviolent on a third felony. The third felony doesnt have to be violent for the law to take effect. Parole eligibility set to expand in Mississippi under new law, This is a terrible tragedy: Jackson police recruit, former firefighter dies, Beloved Mississippi school bus driver killed during crash with 18-wheeler, Eleven players with Mississippi ties selected in 2023 NFL Draft, Marshand Crisler says he will stay in the race for Hinds County sheriff, Belhaven football puts a smile on the face of little girl, City of Byram awarded thousands of state dollars for infrastructure projects, Request a First Alert Weather School Visit, Advertising Non-Discrimination Certification. They later arrested Mitchell, and he faced trial in June 2010. Leading to overcrowded prisons and undue impacts throughout the United States. On June 30, 2010, the Madison County Circuit Court sentenced Mitchell to the maximum sentence of 60 years and doubled it to 120 years without the possibility of parole. 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. FOCUS: 2022 Elections Housing & Evictions #MSWelfare Scandal Jackson Water Abortion Race & Racism Policing Incarceration. Under current law, prosecutors were able to multiply his sentence due to prior convictions. Reeves suggested he may not support future efforts if they include relaxing habitual offender laws. Mississippi Code 99-19-83, as it now stands, mandates that if one of the earlier convictions was for a violent crime, even if the third felony is not, the court must sentence the defendant to life imprisonment without the option of parole. Large majorities of lawmakers in both of Mississippis Republican-dominated chambers approved the changes earlier this year. This law has ruined Johns life, as he has been unable to be there for his family or watch his children grow up. The new law does not expand eligibility options for violent crimes like murder or sexual assault. A more expansive version of parole eligibility reform that the Legislature could have chosen instead, Senate Bill 2123, would have saved the state as much as $1.37 billion, the group said. This is the kind of reform that will take four or five years for us to see the real benefits of. These extreme sentences tear families apart with little to no hope of reunification. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Sadly, the bills refusal to include habitual offenders in earned parole is a huge setback. Under the little law, someone is sentenced to the maximum possible prison sentence upon conviction of their third felony. The state also has the third highest incarceration rate in the country. I think a lot of the phone calls we receive get people so excited when they hear, Oh, they passed a new law and this is going to happen. And thats not necessarily applying to them, said board member Betty Lou Jones. Now is the time to redeem ourselves, and now is the time for our leaders to act. Mississippi's Outdated Habitual Offender Laws - The Botanical Empress 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. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: SECTION 1. As of July 1, 1995 all sex crimes became mandatory. Shortly after the call, a man named Gene Williams knocked on Wilsons room.
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