The Mississippi Correctional Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2020, or Senate Bill 2123, lets people convicted of nonviolent offenses become eligible for parole after serving 25% of their sentence. And those convicted of violent offenses would be eligible for parole after completing 50% of their sentence, or after 20 to 30 years, whichever comes first. Governor Reeves says the measure goes too far.
"Right now you could become eligible for parole if you're 60 years old unless you're a drug trafficker, a habitual offender, or a violent criminal.," said Reeves. "(Measure) 2123 removed those three exceptions. I do not believe it is in the public safety best interest of the State of Mississippi to remove those three exceptions at this time."
Democratic Senator Derrick Simmons of Greenville co-authored the senate bill which received bipartisan support. He says the measure was one way lawmakers hoped to safely reduce overcrowding in the state's prison system and save taxpayers some tens of millions of dollars. Simmons says the governor's comments that the bill would allow dangerous people out in the streets are not true.
"The parole board, which is a great board, will go through a deliberate process before they would even allow an offender to be released," said Simmons. "That function does not change."
Governor Reeves also vetoed House Bill 658 which increases the number of felony expungements people could receive after serving their sentences. He said allowing people to erase multiple felonies from their records would result in “career criminals walking around with no records.”
Simmons says he is unsure if lawmakers will try to override Reeves' veto. It would take two-thirds of the House and Senate to vote to override a governor veto.
