Brown, of Pontotoc County, who just turned 58, was sentenced to life without parole under the big law in 2008 for a rock of cocaine weighing less than two grams because of previous charges, including accessory to an armed robbery in the late 1980s. Under the little law, someone is sentenced to the maximum possible prison sentence upon conviction of their third felony. Unfortunately, the passage of this bill does not guarantee all inmates the opportunity for parole. The sentence was a mandatory minimum under Mississippis habitual offender laws, which are some of the harshest in the country. 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. 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. This is what the habitual sentencing law does. There are no words to describe the trauma it would cause him to be forever separated from me. Pickett says the law change will make around 4,000 offenders eligible for parole. 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. 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. The third felony doesnt have to be violent for the law to take effect. A Mississippi man will continue to serve a life sentence for a pot bust after a court upheld the lengthy term. But lawmakers opted for the narrower reforms this year after Gov. I might not even be here. Even after they become eligible, the State Parole Board must approve their release. The law also contains a significant change for non-violent offenders. 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 was commonly referred to as good time and was completely distinct from parole. Housers second and third drug-related offense happened within a few weekson May 5, 2006, and June 26, 2006when he was 45. Senate Bill 2795, also known as the Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act, has passed the legislature and been signed by the governor into law and will take effect on July 1, 2021. 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. This is the kind of reform that will take four or five years for us to see the real benefits of. FOCUS: 2022 Elections Housing & Evictions #MSWelfare Scandal Jackson Water Abortion Race & Racism Policing Incarceration. I dont know all the facts of the case, but I am not considering pardoning her or anyone else at this time, the Associated Press reported him saying. Mississippi Journalism and Education Group is a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization (EIN 85-1403937) for the state, devoted to going beyond partisanship and publishing solutions journalism for the Magnolia State and all of its people. Our prisons have become human warehouses. We apologize for this error. 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 a full, multi-year implementation of the criminal justice reforms passed in 2014 and 2021 before any additional legislation regarding habitual . 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. For Many Prisoners, Mississippi's Habitual Offender Laws Are Like 'Death Sentences' One man, Paul Houser, is serving 60 years on a drug conviction for purchasing cold medicine and batteries. 2795 was not an easy call for me. 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. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the only remaining member from that period as well as the states only current Black or Democratic member of Congress, voted for it. She told him on the phone that she wanted to buy $200 worth of cocaine. Mississippi Journalism and Education Group is a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization (EIN 85-1403937) for the state, devoted to going beyond partisanship and publishing solutions journalism for the Magnolia State and all of its people. 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. Today, Latino said, his organization is celebrating the parole eligibility changes, which he emphasized is a major step that should offer Mississippians hope. These laws are the same as habitual offender laws but, for some states, focus more on violent crimes rather than non-violent crimes. We already have this process for other offenders; we dont have it for habitual offenders., Bain is the chairman of one of two House judiciary committees and vice chairman of the judiciary en banc committee. Gregory Hollins brother, Larry, said that the law of habitual offenders confused him. 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. 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 . 125 S. Congress Street #1324Jackson, MS 39201[emailprotected][emailprotected]601-362-6121. 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. Mississippi, like states across the country, followed the national trend with its own tough-on-crime reforms in 1995. 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. Reeves vetoed a more expansive parole reform bill last year. They have declined to hear the case, he said, while the U.S. District Court decided the case was without merit. Gov. And not all are eligibilewe were able to ensure 1st and 2nd degree murderers cant get it. 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. 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. They later arrested Mitchell, and he faced trial in June 2010. Mississippians are currently paying $360,000,000 a year to operate our prisons. Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. After the mid-decade changes, though, the states inmate population skyrocketedeven as the states overall population stagnated. Fwd.us Mississippi Director Alesha Judkins hailed lawmakers recognizing the need to reform the states habitual-offenders penalties and highlighted the plight of Paul Houser, 58. The habitual sentencing law is used by district attorneys to prosecute people for all offenses, including nonviolent crimes like shoplifting or drug possession. 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. 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. 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. With your gift, we can do even more important stories like this one. Essentially, the federal government gave financial incentives for states to implement stricter sentencing requirements around Three-strikes, youre out, and to limit parole eligibility, Latino told the Mississippi Free Press today. The #msleg addressed ur issue and sent you a bill you could sign, he wrote. Only one of the bills made it past the committee levelBains House Bill 981. Delbert Hosemann and Speaker Philip Gunn. 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. Latino cautioned that the new laws full impact will not manifest immediately. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. S.B. But police officers were nearby waiting to pounce. Anatomy of Journalistic Impact: FedEx Driver DMonterrio Gibsons Story, Activist Mulls FedEx Boycott for Treatment of Black Worker Chased and Fired On in Brookhaven. By 2000, more than 18,000 Mississippians lived behind bars. Every person convicted in this state of a felony who shall have been convicted twice previously of any felony or federal crime upon charges separately brought and arising out of separate incidents at different times and who shall have been sentenced to separate terms of one (1) year or more in any state and/or federal penal institution, whether in this state or elsewhere, shall be sentenced to the maximum term of imprisonment prescribed for such felony, and such sentence shall not be reduced or suspended nor shall such person be eligible for parole or probation. By 2000, more than 18,000 Mississippians lived behind bars. Waide said he feels confident the case has a better chance than most, both because of how straightforward the argument is and because experienced Supreme Court litigator Alan Morrison has also joined to represent Brown. Today, she is a 46-year-old mother of four, starting her 13th year at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl. The new law provides that avenue for leniency by permitting non-violent habitual offenders to petition the sentencing judge for parole eligibility after serving a quarter of their sentence. State Sen. Juan Barnett, D-Heidelberg, the author of the bill, has previously said hes hoping to address issues such as the habitual offender laws in the future. 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. Terms of the habitual offender law To me, its just an unfair law., His mother, Julie, said that Mississippi will be better without those laws. These extreme sentences tear families apart with little to no hope of reunification. Our hard-earned tax dollars are being used to lock these women up. There are a few crimes like armed robbery that require the inmate to serve at least 60% of their sentence. Written. Large majorities of lawmakers in both of Mississippis Republican-dominated chambers approved the changes earlier this year. Juan Barnett, Brice Wiggins and Daniel Sparks, as well as Lt. Gov. You can explore additional available newsletters here. case or situation. On the other hand, he said the fact the law has been amended may make the court see the case as having less national importance, as its also currently unknown if other states have laws similar enough that a decision would affect them as well. In 2021, as a Mississippi Free Press reporter, he was named the Diamond Journalist of the Year for seven southern U.S. states in the Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Awards. Mississippi jails and prisons held 8,158 inmates in 1990. I want another chance at life, you know? 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. This story has been shared 223,578 times. Nearly 250 people are serving 20+ year habitual penalties for nonviolent offenses, the FWD.us report added. They can never give me back what they took from me, never, she said. 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 new law does not expand eligibility options for violent crimes like murder or sexual assault. It is in the best interest of all of us that every state with habitual offender laws begins to take the steps to remove them. High rates of imprisonment are inherently disastrous. Hollins anticipated release date from the Mississippi Department of Corrections custody is 2070 when he will be 95 years old. The majority of people serving these very long sentences for nonviolent offenses were convicted of drug-related crimes., There are over 175 people serving 20+ year little habitual sentences for nonviolent crimes in prison today who are ineligible for parole and earned time and thus must serve every day of their sentences behind bars.. The April 17, 2018 ruling in Sessions v. Dimaya held that the precedent in Johnson also applied in other contexts, the petition argues. 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. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Biden frees woman busted with 15 pounds of heroin but hardly helps pot offenders, Whats she been smoking? (a) Habitual offenders. 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. Because he had two previous convictions relating to the sale of controlled substances, his sentencing was under both Mississippi Code 4129147 and 99-19-81.
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