"Dignity and Safety for Incarcerated Women Act"; enact.

Incarcerated people face sex-based space rules

Since July 1, 2025, Mississippi Department of Corrections facilities that house state inmates must designate each shared restroom, changing room, and sleeping quarter for exclusive male or female use. The law defines sex by biological sex observed or clinically verified at birth. People may use or stay in a space only if they match its designation, and facilities must take reasonable steps to protect privacy from people of the opposite sex. Opposite-sex entry is allowed for custodial or maintenance work, medical care, emergencies, serious threats to order or safety, or temporary facility direction; temporary entry cannot include overnight housing. Facilities may redesignate a space for exclusive use by the opposite sex. A person who encounters someone of the opposite sex in a restroom or changing room designated for their sex can ask a court to clarify rights or order the facility to stop the entry, if the facility allowed it or failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it. Incarcerated people can also sue if required to share sleeping quarters with someone of the opposite sex in violation of the law. Claims must be filed within two years, and winning plaintiffs can recover reasonable attorney fees and costs from the facility.