Criminal Justice Reform Act in Mississippi

Phil Bryant has signed the Criminal Justice Reform Act in Mississippi. The act takes effect on July 1, 2019, and includes numerous changes. Some of the changes include the addition of the term “intervention” courts, which will allow the expansion and usage of mental-health courts or courts geared explicitly to helping military veterans. The act also changes what criminal convictions are available for expungement in Mississippi.

Under the new law of Criminal Justice Reform, more people will be eligible to apply to have their conviction expunged or cleared from public record. Those with certain convictions for violent crimes or sex crimes are prohibited from using this tool, along with certain other offenses. However, many more people that have been convicted of crimes will now be eligible to petition the sentencing court for expunction of the conviction or convictions. The new law also designates that a person can petition for expungement of one (1) conviction, but that conviction can include all convictions that arose from a common nucleus of operative fact as determined in the discretion of the court. In layman’s terms, a person with multiple convictions that stem from a single incident could petition to have their record cleared if each of the convictions are eligible for expunction, enough time has passed since the conviction, and the person has paid all criminal fines and costs of court imposed in the sentence of conviction.