Senate Bill 2212

(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO CREATE AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY BY PROMULGATING CRITERIA TO FACILITATE THE AVAILABILITY OF COMPARABLE AND UNIFORM COUNTY JAIL CENSUS DATA; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) There is hereby created an advisory committee on jail census data collection to promote criminal justice transparency by promulgating criteria to facilitate the availability of comparable and uniform data. The duties of the advisory committee are as follows:

(a) Research the standards, format, and terminology used by authorities in other states and by the federal government to create uniform data-reporting regulations to be used for recording data on offenders incarcerated in the state's county jails and which will capture the following data:

(i) The number of individuals detained for a new offense or delinquent act.

(ii) The number of individuals detained pending trial.

(iii) The number of offenders detained for a revocation of supervision.

(iv) The average sentence length for new jail sentences by offense type.

(v) The average sentence length for offenders in jail for a probation revocation.

(vi) The average sentence length for offenders in jail for a parole revocation.

(vii) The percentage of sentences in each category offense type, including whether the offense was a violent, property, drug, or public order offense. All drug offenses must include the type of drug implicated in the offense, as well as type of offense, such as possession, sale or manufacture.

(viii) The average length of stay by offense type.

(ix) For individuals awaiting trial, the average length of stay from the time of arrest to the time of indictment, and from the time of indictment to trial.

(b) Research best practices for implementing a centralized database for reporting of the prescribed jail census data by each county authority and recommend a timeline for the submission of the data.

(c) Recommend computer equipment and acceptable electronic processes for transmission of the data by each county to the Administrative Office of Courts.

(d) The committee shall submit its report to the Legislature no later than December 1, 2020.

(2) The committee shall be composed of five (5) members, as follows:

(a) The Commissioner of Corrections or acting Commissioner of Corrections or a designee;

(b) The State Public Defender or a designee;

(d) The President of the Mississippi Sheriffs' Association or a designee; and

(e) A circuit court judge appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

(3) Appointments must be made within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this act. No later than August 15, 2020, the committee must meet and organize by selecting from its membership a chairman and a vice chairman. The vice chairman shall also serve as secretary and is responsible for keeping all records of the committee. A majority of the members of the task force constitutes a quorum. In the selection of its officers and the adoption of rules, resolutions and reports, an affirmative vote of a majority of the task force is required. All members must be notified in writing of all meetings, and those notices shall be mailed at least fifteen (15) days before the date on which a meeting is to be held.

(4) The Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee shall provide necessary staff support and the executive director shall coordinate the calling of the first meeting of the committee.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.