MS SB2574

Creates a pilot reentry court division in First, Seventh, and Fifteenth Circuit Court Districts, operating in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Corrections and Mississippi Intervention Court Commission.

Establishes a rehabilitation and workforce development program at the Mississippi Department of Corrections completable in no more than three years for eligible second or subsequent offenders.

Allows judges to recommend defendants for the program if they meet eligibility criteria, including no prior sex offense convictions, sentence not exceeding 20 years, current crime is not a crime of violence (except house burglary), and no pending charges for crimes of violence.

Upon successful program completion, the court must suspend the remainder of the sentence and place the defendant on intensive probation supervision for up to three years; failure to complete results in serving all or part of the remainder of the original sentence.

Sunsets on July 1, 2024, with the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review required to review program effectiveness and report findings to the Legislature by December 1, 2024.