Mississippi prison sentencing data
In the latest Mississippi Department of Corrections public release loaded into Justice Audit, 15,566 people were held in Mississippi state prisons. Their median sentence is 10 years (the longest sentence from each person's most recent sentencing, not counting life or death sentences). 29% are serving 20 years or more, and 1,453 are serving life.
Race: prison population vs. state population
| Group | People | Share of prison | Share of state (U.S. Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 9,558 | 61% | 38% |
| White | 5,687 | 37% | 59% |
Most common offenses
By the longest sentence from each person's most recent sentencing. Life and death sentences are not included in the median.
| Offense | People | Median sentence (years) |
|---|---|---|
| Aggravated Assault | 865 | 10 |
| Sexual Battery | 837 | 16 |
| Armed Robbery | 796 | 15 |
| Murder 2Nd Degree | 708 | 25 |
| Burglary-Residential | 682 | 10 |
| Methamphetamine - Possession | 513 | 5 |
| Manslaughter | 494 | 20 |
| Possession Of Firearm By Convicted Felon | 472 | 7 |
| Possession Of Controlled Substance | 447 | 3 |
| Poss Of Cntld Subst With Intent | 349 | 10 |
| Controlled Substance Trafficking | 307 | 10 |
| Burglary-Nonresid | 292 | 6 |
| Exploitation/Child | 259 | 8 |
| Possession Weapon/Felon | 252 | 6 |
| Aggravated Asslt-Domestic Involvement | 249 | 10 |
Sentencing by county
County where the person's longest sentence was imposed. Counties with 20+ people have their own page.
| County | People | Median sentence (years) | Serving 20+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison | 1,356 | 8 | 24% |
| Desoto | 851 | 7 | 18% |
| Jackson | 794 | 8 | 20% |
| Rankin | 779 | 10 | 27% |
| Hinds | 752 | 15 | 49% |
| Madison | 718 | 10 | 30% |
| Forrest | 570 | 10 | 28% |
| Lee | 526 | 10 | 18% |
| Lauderdale | 496 | 10 | 32% |
| Jones | 379 | 7 | 15% |
| Lowndes | 347 | 10 | 32% |
| Warren | 316 | 10 | 29% |
| Pearl River | 290 | 8 | 19% |
| Panola | 275 | 8.5 | 23% |
| Lamar | 271 | 8.5 | 21% |
| Oktibbeha | 255 | 10 | 37% |
| Washington | 252 | 15 | 47% |
| Hancock | 246 | 8 | 20% |
| Marion | 244 | 10 | 27% |
| Pike | 230 | 10 | 36% |
| Lafayette | 223 | 7 | 21% |
| Neshoba | 218 | 6 | 22% |
| Alcorn | 199 | 8 | 28% |
| Prentiss | 185 | 8 | 17% |
| Tate | 184 | 10 | 28% |
| Lincoln | 180 | 10 | 31% |
| Scott | 177 | 8 | 28% |
| Monroe | 160 | 8 | 26% |
| Grenada | 145 | 10 | 39% |
| Union | 143 | 10 | 22% |
| Leflore | 141 | 12 | 49% |
| Itawamba | 131 | 10 | 18% |
| Chickasaw | 127 | 9 | 20% |
| Adams | 126 | 19.5 | 56% |
| Pontotoc | 125 | 10 | 18% |
| Marshall | 121 | 10 | 32% |
| George | 118 | 7 | 20% |
| Coahoma | 116 | 17 | 73% |
| Calhoun | 114 | 10 | 25% |
| Simpson | 112 | 8 | 15% |
| Bolivar | 109 | 15 | 60% |
| Newton | 106 | 7 | 30% |
| Leake | 102 | 6 | 33% |
| Wayne | 99 | 10 | 34% |
| Yazoo | 96 | 12 | 46% |
| Winston | 96 | 12 | 34% |
| Clay | 96 | 10 | 40% |
| Attala | 93 | 12 | 33% |
| Stone | 90 | 7.5 | 20% |
| Covington | 88 | 8 | 15% |
| Walthall | 85 | 10 | 29% |
| Copiah | 83 | 10 | 35% |
| Sunflower | 81 | 7 | 48% |
| Holmes | 81 | 15 | 53% |
| Tippah | 81 | 10 | 23% |
| Clarke | 79 | 10 | 29% |
| Tishomingo | 78 | 8 | 15% |
| Yalobusha | 69 | 10 | 26% |
| Tallahatchie | 62 | 10 | 40% |
| Jeff Davis | 57 | 10 | 39% |
| Amite | 57 | 15 | 40% |
| Greene | 56 | 8 | 29% |
| Jasper | 56 | 10 | 20% |
| Perry | 50 | 10 | 22% |
| Lawrence | 49 | 8 | 31% |
| Kemper | 48 | 8 | 25% |
| Wilkinson | 44 | 10 | 55% |
| Smith | 43 | 10 | 19% |
| Montgomery | 42 | 12.5 | 24% |
| Carroll | 41 | 11.5 | 32% |
| Tunica | 41 | 10 | 44% |
| Humphreys | 38 | 12 | 61% |
| Webster | 38 | 10 | 37% |
| Franklin | 33 | 10 | 27% |
| Noxubee | 32 | 15 | 50% |
| Claiborne | 32 | 20 | 69% |
| Jefferson | 25 | 12 | 56% |
| Quitman | 23 | 15 | 70% |
| Benton | 22 | 10 | 18% |
| Choctaw | 20 | 15 | 45% |
| Out-Of-State | 14 | 22.5 | 64% |
| Sharkey | fewer than 10 | – | – |
| Issaquena | fewer than 10 | – | – |
About this data
Source: Mississippi Department of Corrections public inmate records. Counts are people currently in state prison custody, one record per person, using the longest sentence from each person's most recent sentencing. People on parole, probation or in local jails are not included. Criminal history is not in the data. Search individual records in Justice Audit.