Mississippi

The Mississippi River that forms its western border was the inspiration for the name of the state which, in 1817, became the 20th state to join the union. Native American tribes were the first inhabitants of the state, including the Chickasaw, Choctaw, and the Natchez. As early as 1540, Spanish explorers discovered the place, but it was only in 1699 that the first permanent settlements were established by the French. Large cotton plantations were the economic backbone of the state during the early parts of the 19th century, which made plantation owners wholly dependent on black slave labor. It was in 1861 that Mississippi broke off from the Union, which made it suffer losses and destruction during the Civil War. The middle years of the 20th century still had racial discrimination in Mississippi even with the abolition of slavery, which made it ripe for another battle with the Civil Rights Movement. Mississippi ranks as one of the poorest states of America in the early part of the 21st century. Jackson is the capital city of Mississippi.

Mississippi has a total of 82 counties. There are 297 municipalities in the state, 20 of which have their own home rule or private charters, most of which are cities.

There is a two-level appellate court system in Mississippi that reviews the trial courts’ decisions. It is also the court of last resort above the other courts of the state. Decisions made by the lower courts may be appealed to the Supreme Court.

The nine justices’ positions are elected posts that are taken from three districts. Not all positions are open for election at the same time as they are staggered elections. Once voted to office, justices of the Supreme Court serve terms of eight years.

Offender Search Web Page

The purpose and specifics of the Offender Search Web Page in each state varies. Read the disclosures carefully. Updates to the database could be biweekly, monthly and daily depending on the states Corrections Department schedule. Some searches show offenders incarcerated in the entire prison system including county jails and some only state prisons. Sometimes historical offender data is available and sometimes only current inmate records are listed. Youth and adult offenders are sometimes located on separate search portals.

State Offender Search: https://www.ms.gov/mdoc/inmate

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