Mississippi Arrest Records

When a person commits or is suspected of a criminal act in Mississippi, they may be arrested by the police and taken into custody. Following an arrest, the arresting officer creates an arrest record that contains information about the suspect and arrest.

A Mississippi arrest record is a written account of an alleged offense. It includes the names and physical characteristics of the arrested person, the arrest time and date, and any property involved. Arrest records are vital to the criminal justice process in Mississippi, as they ensure that the rights of the arrestee and the arresting officer are protected and allow interested citizens to look into the circumstances surrounding an arrest. However, the records do not contain investigative information or serve as proof of guilt. 

Police departments and sheriff's offices maintain arrest records within their localities. However, a person can also find arrest records with the Department of Public Safety's Criminal Information Center (CIC), the state agency responsible for maintaining Mississippi criminal records.

According to the FBI's 2022 Crime Data Report (compiled from reports made by 152 of 267 participating law enforcement agencies), arrests frequently made in Mississippi in 2022 were for drug abuse violations (8,069 arrests), followed by DUI (7,125 arrests), simple assault (4,478 arrests), and larceny (4,075 arrests). That year, the highest number of arrests per age group was between 30 and 34 years, with 2,306 females and 5,455 males arrested. In total, 36,853 males and 13,613 females were arrested in Mississippi in 2022. 

In contrast, the Bureau's 2021 Crime Data Report (compiled from reports made by 141 out of 261 participating law enforcement agencies) revealed drug abuse violations (8,816) and DUIs (7,200) as causing the most arrests. Simple assault (4,681 arrests) and disorderly conduct (3,686 arrests) were a close second. In 2021, 38,488 males (most arrestees between 25 and 29 years) and 14,098 females (most arrestees between 30 and 34 years) were arrested in Mississippi.

Are Arrest Records Public in Mississippi?

Yes. Under Mississippi's Public Records Act (Miss. Code Ann. §§ 25-61-1 et seq.), law enforcement agencies can release arrest information to the public so long as it does not include investigative or other confidential data. As such, any person can inspect or copy these records per an agency's request procedures.

However, not all arrest records are publicly available. Generally, any record that falls under the prohibitions mentioned in Miss. Code Ann.. § 25-61-5, or restricted by a court order, is presumed unavailable to the public by law. Exemptions to the public disclosure apply in the following cases:

• Juvenile records. While some juvenile reports may be accessible through the juvenile courts, others are entirely unavailable to the public
• Medical records
• Law enforcement investigation records
• Records related to pending litigation
• Privileged attorney-client communications
• Child abuse and neglect records
• Test results and questionnaires

What is Included in Mississippi Arrest Records?

A typical Mississippi arrest record contains the following information:

• Arrestee's Information: Basic information on an arrestee, including:
  • Name
  • Age/Date of birth
  • Address
• Arrest Information: This includes:
  • Arrest time, date, and location
  • Property Involved
  • Narration of incident 
• Officer Information: Information in this section includes:
  • Name of arresting officer and agency
  • Badge number
  • Date and time of report

Find Public Arrest Records in Mississippi

The primary custodians of arrest records in Mississippi are the police and sheriff's departments. To find public arrest records in Mississippi, one should:

• Establish the law enforcement agency that made the arrest and determine the record's availability.
• Find out the procedure for obtaining records from that agency. This is especially important because each agency has its procedures and guidelines for obtaining records. Some may require the requester to visit the office in person; others may need a person to fill and submit online forms or submit requests by mail, and so on. Many agencies publish record access guidelines on their websites.
• Determine applicable fees to obtain records. Some county and city law enforcement provide arrest reports to the victim of a crime for free. For instance, if one is the victim of a crime in the city of Byram, they are entitled to a free copy of the police report. However, agencies like the City of Moss Point Police Department and the Pascagoula Police Department charge a $10 fee to acquire a copy of a report. 
• Follow agency instructions to submit the request along with the fee. Submission may occur in person, online, or by mail, depending on the agency.

Sometimes, the general public will be refused access to certain records. Where a person has a legitimate reason for requesting a restricted arrest record, they may subpoena it.

A subpoena is a court order compelling a person to produce records in their control at a specific time and place—usually at a court hearing or deposition.

A case party or their legal representative may request a subpoena (subpoena duces tecum) from the court clerk where an action is pending. Subsequently, the subpoena must be served on the respective party or agency immediately. Per the law, the subpoenaed party has ten days to comply.

How to Lookup Arrest Records Online in Mississippi

An interested individual may look up arrest records online via these means:

• The Courts: Mississippi courts retain records of criminal cases, which might include arrest information, and are accessible through the Mississippi Electronic Courts System (MEC). One must pay a $10 annual registration fee to access the system. Although the system is public, each requester must pay 20 cents per page to view records. A defendant's name is among the criteria needed to search.
• The Department of Public Safety (MS DPS): Although not an online records search tool, the Mississippi DPS provides an online system for requesting background checks, which can uncover statewide arrest information. Each inquiry costs $32 and may take up to 30 business days to fulfill. However, only the subject of a record can use the system.
• Third-Party Websites: Mississippi arrest records may be accessible from some third-party websites. Users must often provide a subject's name and location to these websites. However, many websites only provide limited information after an inquiry and ask the user to pay a premium that includes all available public records related to the search subject. Sometimes, a searcher must pay or subscribe before proceeding with their search.
• County Inmate Search Tools:

Several county sheriff's offices provide inmate search tools that individuals can use to look up arrested persons booked in a local jail. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department's inmate search tool is a typical example.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record in Mississippi

Forever unless expunged. Regardless of the crime type, an arrest that has been reported to the Mississippi CIC or docketed in the public court records stays there forever and will continue to show up in criminal background checks for as long as it is not expunged.

Expunge an Arrest Record in Mississippi

Expunging an arrest record in Mississippi means removing it from public viewing or access. An expunged arrest record in Mississippi is physically destroyed; instead, it will be removed from where the public can access it and stored in nonpublic storage, only accessible to law enforcement. One can say that they were never arrested or convicted of the related crime post-expungement. However, the subject must meet the state's eligibility criteria to expunge an arrest record.

To apply for an expungement, one must observe these steps.

• Check if all eligibility criteria are fulfilled. An arrest record may be expunged in Mississippi if the charges were remanded, not adjudicated, dismissed, or resolved through pretrial diversion. 
• Obtain an expungement form from the court of charging or sentencing.
• Prepare an affidavit stating a testimony of good behavior with proof of completing any outstanding convictions or civil judgments. Also, procure two affidavits from unrelated people within the community.
• File the petition and supporting documents with the court clerk in the county where the case was heard. For felony records expungement, send a written notice to the district attorney before the partition hearing.
• Pay the applicable fees.
• Make copies of everything for personal records. 

In Mississippi, the expungement of convictions is more limited than that for non-conviction records. A person can only get one felony conviction and the related arrest records expunged in a lifetime.

Per Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-71, the following felonies do not qualify for expungement:

• Violent crimes
• Voyeurism
• Felon in possession of a firearm
• Drug trafficking
• First-degree arson
• Witness intimidation
• Third or subsequent DUI
• Failure to register as a sex offender
• Embezzlement
• Abusing, neglecting, or exploiting a vulnerable person

Below are some cases that qualify for expungement in Mississippi:

• Minor in possession: A person charged as a minor in possession of alcohol can ask the judge to expunge a conviction or resulting dismissal and discharge. A one-year waiting period applies after the dismissal, discharge, or conclusion of any sentence and payment of any fine. (Miss. Code Ann. § 67-3-70)
• First DUI: A first-time DUI offender is eligible for expungement once they complete their sentence and five years have passed. Expungement is unavailable if the person has a commercial driver's license, refuses to submit a blood or breath test, is tested at .16% BAC or above, or has pending DUI charges. Only one DUI expungement is allowed. (Miss. Code Ann. § 63-11-30)
• Intervention court: A judge must expunge a conviction if a person completes their sentence in an intervention court (like a drug court). Implied consent violations, however, do not qualify. (Miss. Code § 9-23-23)
• Records relating to first-time misdemeanor convictions (Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-71)
• These felonies: 
  • Bad check
  • Possession of a controlled substance or paraphernalia 
  • False Pretense 
  • Larceny
  • Malicious mischief, and 
  • Felony shoplifting
• A misdemeanor charge where the case was dismissed, charges were dropped, no disposition was made, or the defendant was acquitted (Miss. Code Ann. §§ 99-15-26(5), 99-19-71(4)). For misdemeanors, a person might qualify for one or more expungements depending on the type of offense and the person's criminal record.

How Do I Find Recent Arrests in Mississippi?

Interested individuals can obtain information on recent arrests in Mississippi by contacting or visiting the local law enforcement agency that made an arrest.

In some counties, recent arrest information may be found using web-based inmate tools provided and updated daily by a county sheriff's office. An example is the Jones County Sheriff's Office inmate roster.

Are Mississippi Arrest Records Free?

Yes. Certain Mississippi county sheriffs provide free arrest information to the public on their official websites. Additionally, crime victims may obtain arrest reports for free from a local law enforcement agency.

However, a person must often pay to receive copies of an arrest report. A fee also applies to obtain arrest records from the Department of Public Safety's Criminal Information Center.