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HB1517 • 2026

"Mississippi Second Chance Act"; enact.

AN ACT TO BE KNOWN AS THE "MISSISSIPPI SECOND CHANCE ACT"; TO AMEND SECTION 47-7-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE PAROLE ELIGIBILITY FOR PERSONS SENTENCED FOR CRIMES OF VIOLENCE; TO PROVIDE THAT PERSONS SENTENCED FOR CERTAIN VIOLENT OFFENSES SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE AFTER SERVING FIFTY PERCENT OR FIFTEEN YEARS, WHICHEVER IS LESS, OF THE SENTENCE OR SENTENCES IMPOSED; TO PROVIDE PAROLE ELIGIBILITY FOR PERSONS SENTENCED FOR MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE AFTER SERVING TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AND FOR PERSONS SENTENCED FOR MURDER IN THE SECOND DEGREE AFTER SERVING TWENTY YEARS; TO AMEND SECTION 47-7-3.2, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO DECREASE THE NUMBER OF YEARS SERVED FOR COMMITTING CERTAIN CRIMES OF VIOLENCE BEFORE BEING RELEASED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS; TO AMEND SECTIONS 99-19-81, 99-19-83, AND 99-19-87, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE PAROLE ELIGIBILITY FOR PERSONS SENTENCED AS HABITUAL OFFENDERS AFTER SERVING TEN YEARS; TO PROVIDE THAT THESE AMENDMENTS SHALL APPLY RETROACTIVELY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Crime
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Taylor, Nelson
Last action
2026-02-03
Official status
Dead
Effective date
July 1, 20

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass during the session as indicated in the official status label and last action date.

Mississippi Second Chance Act

The Mississippi Second Chance Act changes parole eligibility rules for certain violent offenses.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the time a person must serve before being eligible for parole if they are sentenced for certain violent offenses to fifty percent or fifteen years, whichever is less.
  • Sets specific times for parole eligibility: twenty-five years for murder in the first degree and twenty years for murder in the second degree.
  • Reduces the number of years served by habitual offenders before being released on parole from their current sentences to ten years.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People convicted of violent crimes in Mississippi
  • The Department of Corrections and State Parole Board

Terms To Know

Parole
A system where prisoners are released early from prison but must follow certain rules.
Habitual offender
Someone who has been convicted of multiple crimes and faces harsher sentences for repeat offenses.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass during the session.
  • It applies retroactively, affecting people sentenced before July 1, 2026.
  • Details about how parole hearings will be conducted are not specified in this summary.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-03 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/03 (H) Died In Committee

  2. 2026-01-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/19 (H) Referred To Judiciary B

Official Summary Text

"Mississippi Second Chance Act"; enact.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
H. B. No. 1517 *HR26/R1999* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
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PAGE 1 (OM\KW)

To: Judiciary B
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Taylor, Nelson

HOUSE BILL NO. 1517

AN ACT TO BE KNOWN AS THE "MISSISSIPPI SECOND CHANCE ACT"; TO 1
AMEND SECTION 47-7-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE PAROLE 2
ELIGIBILITY FOR PERSONS SENTENCED FOR CRIMES OF VIOLENCE; TO 3
PROVIDE THAT PERSONS SENTENCED FOR CERTAIN VIOLENT OFFENSES SHALL 4
BE ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE AFTER SERVING FIFTY PERCENT OR FIFTEEN 5
YEARS, WHICHEVER IS LESS, OF THE SENTENCE OR SENTENCES IMPOSED; TO 6
PROVIDE PAROLE ELIGIBILITY FOR PERSONS SENTENCED FOR MURDER IN THE 7
FIRST DEGREE AFTER SERVING TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AND FOR PERSONS 8
SENTENCED FOR MURDER IN THE SECOND DEGREE AFTER SERVING TWENTY 9
YEARS; TO AMEND SECTION 47-7-3.2, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 10
DECREASE THE NUMBER OF YEARS SERVED FOR COMMITTING CERTAIN CRIMES 11
OF VIOLENCE BEFORE BEING RELEASED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF 12
CORRECTIONS; TO AMEND SECTIONS 99-19-81, 99-19-83, AND 99-19-87, 13
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE PAROLE ELIGIBILITY FOR 14
PERSONS SENTENCED AS HABITUAL OFFENDERS AFTER SERVING TEN YEARS; 15
TO PROVIDE THAT THESE AMENDMENTS SHALL APPLY RETROACTIVELY; AND 16
FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 17
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 18
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 19
"Mississippi Second Chance Act". 20
SECTION 2. Section 47-7-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 21
amended as follows: 22
47-7-3. (1) Every prisoner who has been convicted of any 23
offense against the State of Mississippi, and is confined in the 24
execution of a judgment of such conviction in the Mississippi 25
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Department of Corrections for a definite term or terms of one (1) 26
year or over, or for the term of his or her natural life, whose 27
record of conduct shows that such prisoner has observed the rules 28
of the department, and who has served the minimum required time 29
for parole eligibility, may be released on parole as set forth 30
herein: 31
(a) Habitual offenders. Except as otherwise 32
provided * * * in this section and as prescribed under the 33
Mississippi Second Chance Act, no person sentenced as a * * * 34
habitual * * * offender shall be eligible for parole; 35
(b) Sex offenders. Any person who has been sentenced 36
for a sex offense as defined in Section 45-33-23(h) shall not be 37
released on parole except * * * as otherwise provided by law; 38
(c) Capital offenders. No person sentenced for the 39
following offenses shall be eligible for parole: 40
(i) Capital murder committed on or after July 1, 41
1994, as defined in Section 97-3-19(2); 42
(ii) Any offense to which an offender is sentenced 43
to life imprisonment * * * without eligibility for parole; or 44
(iii) Any offense to which an offender is 45
sentenced to life imprisonment without eligibility for 46
parole * * *; 47
(d) Murder. * * * (i) A person sentenced for murder 48
in the first degree * * * shall be eligible for parole only after 49
having served twenty-five (25) years of the sentence imposed; 50
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(ii) A person sentenced for murder in the second degree 51
shall be eligible for parole only after having served twenty (20) 52
years of the sentence imposed; 53
(e) Human trafficking. No person sentenced for human 54
trafficking, as defined in Section 97-3-54.1, * * * shall be 55
eligible for parole, except as otherwise expressly provided by an 56
act of the Legislature; 57
(f) Drug trafficking. No person sentenced for 58
trafficking and aggravated trafficking, as defined in Section 59
41-29-139(f) through (g), shall be eligible for parole only after 60
having served fifteen (15) years of the sentence imposed; 61
(g) Offenses specifically prohibiting parole release. 62
No person shall be eligible for parole who is convicted of any 63
offense that specifically prohibits parole release, except as 64
otherwise expressly provided by an act of the Legislature; 65
(h) * * * Offenders eligible for parole consideration 66
for offenses committed after June 30, 1995. * * * Offenders may 67
be considered eligible for parole release as follows: 68
* * *(i) Nonviolent crimes. All persons 69
sentenced for a nonviolent offense shall be eligible for parole 70
only after they have served twenty-five percent (25%) or ten (10) 71
years, whichever is less, of the sentence or sentences imposed by 72
the trial court. * * * 73
* * *(ii) Violent crimes. A person who is 74
sentenced for a violent offense as defined in Section 75
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97-3-2, * * * including robbery with a deadly weapon as defined in 76
Section 97-3-79, drive-by shooting as defined in Section 97-3-109, 77
and carjacking as defined in Section 97-3-117, shall be eligible 78
for parole only after having served fifty percent (50%) or * * * 79
fifteen (15) years, whichever is less, of the sentence or 80
sentences imposed by the trial court. * * * 81
* * *(iii) Nonviolent * * * drug offenses. A 82
person who has been sentenced to a drug offense pursuant to 83
Section 41-29-139(a) through (d), whose crime was committed after 84
June 30, 1995, shall be eligible for parole only after he has 85
served twenty-five percent (25%) or ten (10) years, whichever is 86
less, of the sentence or sentences imposed. 87
* * *(iv) Parole hearing required. All persons 88
eligible for parole under this section * * * who are serving a 89
sentence or sentences for a crime of violence, as defined in 90
Section 97-3-2, shall be required to have a parole hearing before 91
the parole board * * * prior to parole release. 92
* * * 93
SECTION 3. Section 47-7-3.2, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 94
amended as follows: 95
47-7-3.2. (1) Notwithstanding * * * any other provision of 96
law, no person convicted of a criminal offense * * * shall be 97
released by the Department of Corrections until he or she has 98
served no less than the * * * following minimum portion of the 99
sentence or sentences imposed by the court: 100
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(a) Twenty-five percent (25%) or ten (10) years, 101
whichever is less, for a nonviolent crime; 102
(b) Fifty percent (50%) or * * * fifteen (15) years, 103
whichever is less, for a crime of violence * * * as defined in 104
Section 97-3-2 * * *. 105
* * * 106
(2) This section shall not apply to: 107
(a) Offenders sentenced to life imprisonment without 108
parole; 109
(b) Offenders convicted * * * of a sex offense for 110
which parole is otherwise prohibited by law. 111
SECTION 4. Section 99-19-81, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 112
amended as follows: 113
99-19-81. * * * Any person sentenced as a habitual offender 114
under this section shall be eligible for parole only after having 115
served ten (10) years of the sentence imposed. 116
SECTION 5. Section 99-19-83, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 117
amended as follows: 118
99-19-83. * * * Any person sentenced under this section 119
shall be eligible for parole consideration only after having 120
served twenty (20) years of the sentence imposed. 121
SECTION 6. Section 99-19-87, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 122
amended as follows: 123
99-19-87. Except as otherwise provided under the Mississippi 124
Second Chance Act as prescribed under Sections 47-7-3, 125
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ST: "Mississippi Second Chance Act"; enact.
47-7-3.2,99-19-81 and 99-19-83, nothing in Sections 99-19-81 126
through 99-19-87 shall abrogate or affect punishment by death in 127
any and all crimes now or hereafter punishable by death. 128
SECTION 7. (1) The amendments contained under the 129
Mississippi Second Chance Act shall apply retroactively from and 130
after July 1, 1995. 131
(2) The Mississippi Department of Corrections and the 132
State Parole Board shall recalculate parole eligibility dates 133
for all persons affected by this act. 134
(3) No person shall lose parole eligibility as a result 135
of this act. 136
SECTION 8. The Department of Corrections and the State 137
Parole Board shall promulgate any rules or regulations 138
necessary to implement the Mississippi Second Chance Act. 139
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect and be in force 140
from and after July 1, 2026. 141