House Bill 1616 Summary

• Creates the "Corrections Omnibus Act" that brings forward multiple sections of Mississippi's probation, parole, and corrections law for possible amendment, affecting parole eligibility, case planning, community corrections, and sentencing procedures.

• Establishes requirements for parole case plans and discharge plans for inmates, including risk and needs assessments, and mandates that parole-eligible inmates meeting case plan requirements be released without a hearing (unless victim requests one or serious violations occurred).

• Reconstitutes the State Parole Board effective January 1, 2028, as a five-member board appointed by the Governor with Senate consent, requiring members to have at least a bachelor's degree or high school diploma plus four years' work experience.

• Implements graduated sanctions for probation and parole violations as alternatives to revocation, authorizes technical violation centers for offenders, and establishes earned discharge credits allowing offenders to reduce supervision time through compliance.

• Updates intervention court certification standards and procedures, drug court requirements including medication-assisted treatment options, and brings forward numerous statutes related to controlled substance offenses, forfeiture, post-conviction proceedings, and municipal court operations; takes effect July 1, 2025.