Title 97, Crimes

(1) To qualify for funds under the program authorized in Sections 97-3-54.10 through 97-3-54.13, a shelter must meet all of the following requirements:(a) Be incorporated in the state or recognized by the Secretary of State as a private or public nonprofit corporation. Such corpo…

(1) Any employee, contractor, volunteer or agent of a human trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation shelter receiving funds under Sections 97-3-54.10 through 97-3-54.13, or of any other entity in possession of information which would tend to identify a victim of human traff…

Anyone who knowingly destroys, conceals, removes, confiscates or possesses, or attempts to destroy, conceal, remove, confiscate or possess, any actual or purported passport or other immigration document, or any other actual or purported government identification document of any p…

A person who knowingly aids, abets or conspires with one or more persons to violate the Mississippi Human Trafficking Act shall be considered a principal in the offense and shall be indicted and punished as such whether the principal has been previously convicted or not.

(a) For the purposes of the Mississippi Human Trafficking Act the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly requires otherwise:(a) “Act” or “this act” means the Mississippi Human Trafficking Act.(b) “Actor” means a person who v…

The fact that an undercover operative or law enforcement officer was involved in any manner in the detection and investigation of an offense under this act shall not constitute a defense to a prosecution under this act.

(1) Any circuit court may, after making due provision for the rights of trafficked persons, enjoin violations of the provisions of this act by issuing appropriate orders and judgments, including, but not limited to:(a) Ordering any defendant to divest himself of any interest in a…

(1) In addition to any other civil or criminal penalties provided by law, any property used in the commission of a violation of this act shall be forfeited as provided herein.(a) The following property shall be subject to forfeiture if used or intended for use as an instrumentali…

(1) There is created the position of statewide human trafficking coordinator within the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation of the Department of Public Safety office. The duties of the coordinator shall be as follows:(a) Coordinate the implementation of this act;(b) Evaluate stat…

Any person who shall be convicted of writing or publishing any libel, shall be fined in such sum or imprisoned in the county jail for such term as the court, in its discretion, may adjudge, having regard to the nature and enormity of the offense, or be punished by both such fine …

In every criminal prosecution for libel it shall be lawful for the defendant, upon the trial, to give in evidence the truth of the matter written or published, and if it shall appear to the jury that the matter charged as libelous is true, and was published with good motives and …

Every person who, from premeditated design or with intent to kill or commit any felony, shall mutilate, disfigure, disable or destroy the tongue, eye, lip, nose, or any other limb or member of any person, shall be guilty of mayhem, and, on conviction thereof, shall be punished by…

Every person who shall mingle any poison with any food, drink, or medicine with intent to kill or injure any human being, or who shall wilfully poison any well, spring, or reservoir of water, shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary not exceeding te…

Every person who shall be convicted of having administered, or having caused or procured to be administered, any poison to any human being with intent to kill such human being, whereof death shall not ensue, shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for a term not les…

(1) The crime of statutory rape is committed when:(a) Any person seventeen (17) years of age or older has sexual intercourse with a child who:(i) Is at least fourteen (14) but under sixteen (16) years of age;(ii) Is thirty-six (36) or more months younger than the person; and(iii)…

(1) In any prosecution for rape under Section 97-3-65 or 97-3-71, if evidence of sexual conduct of the complaining witness is offered to attack the credibility of said complaining witness, the following procedure shall be followed:(a) A written motion shall be made by the defenda…

In the trial of all cases under Section 97-3-68, no person shall be convicted upon the uncorroborated testimony of the injured person.

(1) (a) A person is guilty of simple assault if he or she (i) attempts to cause or purposely, knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury to another; (ii) negligently causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon or other means likely to produce death or serious bodily ha…

Every person who shall be convicted of an assault with intent of forcible sexual penetration of any person shall be punished by imprisonment in the Penitentiary for life, or for such shorter time as may be fixed by the jury, or by the court upon the entry of a plea of guilty.

Every person who shall feloniously take the personal property of another, in his presence or from his person and against his will, by violence to his person or by putting such person in fear of some immediate injury to his person, shall be guilty of robbery.

Every person convicted of robbery shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for a term not more than fifteen years.

Every person who shall feloniously take the personal property of another, in his presence or from his person, which shall have been delivered or suffered to be taken through fear of some injury threatened to be inflicted at some different time to his person or property, or to the…

Every person who shall feloniously take or attempt to take from the person or from the presence the personal property of another and against his will by violence to his person or by putting such person in fear of immediate injury to his person by the exhibition of a deadly weapon…

Every person who shall knowingly send or deliver, or shall make, and, for the purpose of being sent or delivered, shall part with the possession of any letter or writing with or without a name subscribed thereto, or signed with a fictitious name, or with any letter, mark, or othe…

(1) For the purposes of this section the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Obtain” means: (i) in relation to property, to bring about a transfer or purported transfer of a legal interest in, or…

Robbery of obligations or bonds, bill obligatory, bank bills or bills of exchange, promissory notes for the payment of any money or specific property, paper bills of credit, cotton receipts, railroad passenger tickets, certificates granted by or under authority of this state or t…

If any person shall post, mail, deliver, or drop a threatening letter or notice to another, whether such other be named or indicated therein or not, with intent to terrorize or to intimidate such other, he shall, upon conviction, be punished by imprisonment in the county jail not…

Any person or persons who shall, by placards, or other writing, or verbally, attempt by threats, direct or implied, of injury to the person or property of another, to intimidate such other person into an abandonment or change of home or employment, shall, upon conviction, be fine…

Any person who shall maliciously and knowingly drive, force, place, or otherwise insert, or cause to be driven, forced, placed or otherwise inserted any piece or kind of iron, steel, or metallic spike, nail, bar, rod, explosive, or other substance of any kind whatsoever into any …

When any person shall be physically injured in handling, sawing, squaring, or otherwise manufacturing such trees, logs, or timber into lumber, or other sawmill products, by reason of such metallic or explosive substances having been driven, inserted or placed in such timber, tree…

Whenever the death of any person shall be caused by reason of such metallic or explosive substances having been driven, placed or inserted in such merchantable timber as provided in Section 97-3-89, the person so offending shall be guilty of manslaughter, and upon conviction shal…

(1) A person is guilty of sexual battery if he or she engages in sexual penetration with:(a) Another person without his or her consent;(b) A mentally defective, mentally incapacitated or physically helpless person;(c) A child at least fourteen (14) but under sixteen (16) years of…

(a) For purposes of Sections 97-3-95 through 97-3-103 the following words shall have the meaning ascribed herein unless the context otherwise requires:(a) “Sexual penetration” includes cunnilingus, fellatio, buggery or pederasty, any penetration of the genital or anal openings of…

If the father or mother of any child under the age of six years, or any other person having the lawful custody of such child, or to whom such child shall have been confided, shall expose such child in any highway, street, field, house, outhouse, or elsewhere, with intent wholly t…

No person under the age of eighteen (18) years shall be allowed to enter and remain in any poolroom or billiard hall except that municipalities shall have the discretion to establish a lower minimum age. However, no person under the age of eighteen (18) years shall be allowed to …

(1) Any person above the age of eighteen (18) years, who, for the purpose of gratifying his or her lust, or indulging his or her depraved licentious sexual desires, shall handle, touch or rub with hands or any part of his or her body or any member thereof, or with any object, any…

If any person eighteen (18) years or older who is employed by any public school district or private school in this state is accused of fondling or having any type of sexual involvement with any child under the age of eighteen (18) years who is enrolled in such school, the princip…

(1) Any person who intentionally and knowingly disseminates sexually oriented material to any person under eighteen (18) years of age shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined for each offense not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) nor more than …

(1) Any person who intentionally and knowingly places sexually oriented materials upon public display, or who knowingly and intentionally fails to take prompt action to remove such a display from property in his possession after learning of its existence shall be guilty of a misd…

(1) Any parent who shall desert or willfully neglect or refuse to provide for the support and maintenance of his or her child or children, including the natural parent of an illegitimate child or children wherein paternity has been established by law or when the natural parent ha…

(a) As used in Sections 97-5-33 through 97-5-37, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this section:(a) “Child” means any individual who has not attained the age of eighteen (18) years.(b) “Sexually explicit conduct” means actual, morphed or sim…

(1) As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings herein ascribed:(a) “Electronic device” means any device used for the purpose of communicating with a child for sexual purposes or any device used to visually depict a child engaged in sexually explicit cond…

(1) No person shall, by any means, including computer, cause, solicit or knowingly permit any child to engage in sexually explicit conduct or in the simulation of sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct. (2) No person shall, by …

Any person who violates any provision of Section 97-5-33 shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction shall be fined not less than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) nor more than Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) and shall be imprisoned for not less than five (5) y…

The provisions of Sections 97-5-31 through 97-5-37 are supplemental to any statute relating to child abuse or neglect, obscenity, enticement of children or contributing to delinquency of a minor and acquittal or conviction pursuant to any other statute shall not be a bar to prose…

(1) (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, any parent, guardian or other person who intentionally, knowingly or recklessly commits any act or omits the performance of any duty, which act or omission contributes to or tends to contribute to the neglect or delinquency of…