Senate Bill 2618

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 47-1-41 AND 47-1-47, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE A UNIFORM CREDIT AGAINST FINES FOR WORK PERFORMED BY A CONVICT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 47-1-41, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

47-1-41. Any person convicted of violating any ordinance of any city, town or village in this state and sentenced to pay a fine and costs therefor, and failing to do so, shall be worked on the streets or other public works of the municipality in the custody of the street commissioner, or other person designated by the mayor and board of aldermen, or councilmen of such municipality and at its expense, and shall receive credit on such fine and costs as provided in Section 47-1-47 for each day so worked, and such municipality shall accord the same treatment to its convicts that is required by this chapter to county convicts. The responsibility of carrying out the provisions of this section shall devolve on the mayor and board of aldermen or board of councilmen of each municipality with reference to its convicts. In the event it is, in the judgment of the ruling authorities of any village in the state or of any small town in the state, unprofitable to work the convicts as above provided, then such village or town may contract with the board of supervisors of the county at the best price and take and work such convicts on the county farm, but the convict shall receive credit at the rate provided in Section 99-19-20 for each day worked * * *.

SECTION 2. Section 47-1-47, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

47-1-47. Every county or municipal convict shall be comfortably clothed at the expense of the county or municipality, but all clothing furnished shall remain the property of the county or municipality, and shall be thoroughly fumigated and disinfected before being allotted to a convict after having been used by another, and every convict shall be sufficiently fed, to maintain his body and induce his good health, with substantial and suitable food to be furnished and prepared and paid for by the county or municipality. And every convict for each day's work he is required to do shall receive credit on his fine and costs assessed against him at the rate provided under Section 99-19-20, until such fine and costs are fully paid. And in case the convict is serving a sentence of imprisonment, each day that he works in serving such sentence shall entitle him credit for equal time on his sentence of imprisonment, but in no instance shall a convict receive credit on the fine and costs and on the time sentenced to imprisonment for the same work. No convict shall be allowed to labor more than eight (8) hours per day, but shall be required, when able, to perform eight (8) hours labor each day.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2010.