MS HB124

Amends Section 47-5-1211 to create an exception to the 10% cost-savings requirement for private correctional facilities that house inmates for mental illness treatment.

Private incarceration contracts for mental illness treatment facilities are exempt from demonstrating at least 10% cost savings to the Department of Corrections.

Defines "persons with a mental illness" for purposes of the exemption, including individuals with substantial psychiatric disorders that impair judgment and pose likelihood of harm to self or others.

Excludes from the mental illness definition: epilepsy, intellectual disability, intoxication, substance addiction, and senile dementia.

Effective July 1, 2023, with an immediate repeal date of June 30, 2023, creating a zero-day effective period.