If you are convicted on a drug charge in Mississippi, you might have to serve time in prison. However, there is the possibility that you could be released from prison early and placed on parole. This means you can return to your community, but you must follow certain rules for a certain period of time, or you might be sent back to prison.
Conditions of parole
If you are placed on parole due to a drug crime, there are a variety of rules you might have to follow.
For example, you will have to make regular reports to your parole officer. You might have to hold down a job. If you want to move or leave Mississippi, you might have to get your parole officer’s permission first.
If you are on parole, you will not be able to possess illegal drugs. You might not be able to drink alcohol or go to bars. You will have to submit to regular drug and/or alcohol testing.
If you are on parole, you might not be able to possess a firearm. You might have a curfew from midnight to 6:00 a.m. There are other rules you might have to follow as well if you are on parole.
What happens if you violate parole?
Under Mississippi Code section 47-7-27, if you violate any condition of your parole, you will be arrested. After a hearing, the terms of your parole might be changed, or your parole might be revoked meaning you might have to go back to prison.
A technical violation of your parole might result in a 90-day prison sentence for a first violation or a 120-day prison sentence for a second violation. If you have a third violation, you might serve a 180-day prison sentence or be sent to prison to serve the rest of your original sentence. If you have a fourth violation, you might be sent to prison to serve the rest of your original sentence.
If you commit a felony while on parole, you will be arrested. No hearing will be held. You will be sent back to prison to serve the rest of your original sentence.
Being placed on parole can be a privilege, but it is important that you follow all the conditions of your parole. If you do not do so, you might face serious consequences, including return to prison.