Megan’s Law for Mississippi
updated 1/31/2022
| Contact Person: | Lieutenant Rusty Clark Director MS Criminal Information Center Email: rclark@dps.ms.gov Phone: (601) 933-2600 Megan Costilow, J.D. Phone: (601) 933-2627 |
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| Offenders Required to Register: | Any person residing, working or attending school or visiting seven days or more in Mississippi, who has been convicted, acquitted by reason of insanity or adjudicated delinquent for any covered sex offense or attempted sex offense. |
| Information Collected: | Name, including a former name which has been legally changed; Street address of permanent and temporary residences in or out of state; Date, place and address of employment including as a volunteer or unpaid intern or as a transient or day laborer; Crime for which convicted; Date and place of conviction, adjudication or acquittal by reason of insanity; Aliases used; Social Security number; Date and place of birth; Age, race, sex, height, weight, hair and eye colors; Any other physical description or identifying factors, such as any scars, marks and tattoos; Brief description of the offense or offenses for which registration is required; Driver’s license number or state identification card number; Anticipated future residence address; Photograph, fingerprints, palm prints and biological sample; Name/status at any public/private educational, trade or professional institution at which offender is employed, has a vocation, or is enrolled as a student, and give the status; Vehicle make, model, color and license tag number; Identification of vessel, houseboat or motor vehicle or trailer used as residence, and Other identification information deemed necessary; Offender’s parole, probation or supervised release status and the existence of any outstanding arrest warrants; Every online identity screen name or username used, registered or created by a registrant Must give offense history and provide copy of conviction or sentencing order for which registration is required; Must submit documentation of any treatment received for any mental abnormality or personality disorder of the person; And must give any other information deemed necessary. Must notify within 3 business days of any changes. Offender shall not reside within 1500 feet of the real property comprising a public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school, a child care facility, a residential child-caring agency, a children’s group care home or any playground, ball park or other recreational facility utilized by persons under the age of eighteen (18) years; however certain exceptions are provided in the law. Must request permission prior to visiting any public park or beach. |
| Administrating Agency: | Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS) and county sheriffs |
| Timeframe for Registration: | Registration is two-part process:
An offender moving into MS must notify MDPS 10 days before residing in a county in this state. The offender must register with the sheriff and MDPS within 3 business days of first residing in or returning to MS as described above. |
| Applies to Out of State Offenders: | Persons convicted in other states or jurisdictions for an offense that is registerable in MS must register upon relocating into MS. Also, any persons that are required to register in another state or jurisdiction are required to register with MDPS upon relocating into MS, even if the offense is not registerable in MS. Offenders that move out of the state of MS remain on the Registry even after the registrant moves to another jurisdiction and registers in the new jurisdiction as required by law. The law requires the Registry to note that the registrant moved out of state. |
| Duration of Requirement: | Lifetime Registration. Persons convicted of some registrable offenses can petition for relief from the duty to register after 25 years of maintaining their registration in MS. Registration in any other jurisdiction or state does not reduce the twenty-five year minimum requirement. Re-incarceration for any offense will restart the twenty-five year minimum registration period. The following offenses require lifetime registration:
An offender, twenty-one (21) years of age or older, who is convicted of any sex offense where the victim was fourteen (14) years of age or younger, shall not be relieved from the duty to register. A first-time offender fourteen (14) years of age or older adjudicated delinquent in a youth court for the crime of rape or sexual battery is subject to lifetime registration and shallbe eligible to petition to be relieved of the duty to register after twenty-five (25) years of registration. An offender who has two (2) separate convictions for any of the offenses that allow relief after the twenty-five (25) year period cannot petition for relief of the duty to register as long as at least one (1) of the convictions was entered on or after July 1, 1995. |
| Verification of Address: | All offenders are required to personally appear at a MDPS driver’s license station to reregister and verify their information every ninety (90) days. Reregistration includes the submission of current information including photograph; registrant’s street address and telephone number; name, street address and telephone number of employer; status at any school; any other registration information that may need to be verified; and payment of any required fees. Sheriffs also verify addresses in their counties. |
| Penalties for Non-Compliance: | The failure of an offender to provide any registration or other information including, but not limited to, initial registration, re-registration or change of address information is a violation of the law as is forgery of information or submission of information under false pretenses. Also failure to provide required notifications to volunteer groups and employers of status as a registered sex offender is a violation of the law. The violation is a felony and is punishable by a fine or imprisonment, or both. The offender’s driving license or privilege in the State of MS is also suspended for failure to comply with the duty to report, register or re-register. |
| Access to Information: | Information on registered offenders is available on the website: http://www.sor.mdps.state.ms.us/. Information is also maintained at local sheriff’s offices and the MDPS. Information released includes: name, race, sex, date of birth, height, weight, eye and hair color, address, aliases, crime for which convicted, date and place of conviction, and a photograph. Geographic searches and notifications are also available. The MS statute also states that any other information deemed necessary for the protection of the public may be released. |
| Confidentiality Provision: | Anyone who uses this information to commit a criminal act against another person is subject to criminal prosecution. The sale or exchange of sex offender information for profit is prohibited. Misuse of this information is a misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine or imprisonment, or both. Victim information cannot be released. |
| Number Registered: | 12,900 total registered offenders as of 1/31/2023 |
| Percent Compliance: | 98% |
| Internet Access: | Mississippi Sex Offender Registry |