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The Death Penalty in Mississippi

How Mississippi law treats death penalty, from the state code and official state agencies.

Short answer: Mississippi has the death penalty in law. A person convicted of capital murder is sentenced to death, life imprisonment without parole, or life imprisonment with parole eligibility under § 47-7-3(1)(c)(iii). Miss. Code Ann. §§ 97-3-19(2), 97-3-21(3), 99-19-51

Death penaltyMississippi has the death penalty in law. A person convicted of capital murder is sentenced to death, life imprisonment without parole, or life imprisonment with parole eligibility under § 47-7-3(1)(c)(iii). Capital murder includes killing a peace officer or firefighter on duty, murder for hire, murder by bomb, killing during listed felonies such as rape, robbery, burglary, kidnapping or arson, murder of an elected official, and murder of three or more people in one episode. The statute names lethal injection as the preferred method and also allows nitrogen hypoxia, electrocution or firing squad, chosen by the Commissioner of Corrections.
Read on codes.findlaw.com (a public copy of the official code); check against the official code. Capital murder list: https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-97-crimes/ms-code-sect-97-3-19.html; sentences: https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-97-crimes/ms-code-sect-97-3-21.html. FindLaw copy current as of January 1, 2025.
Source: Miss. Code Ann. §§ 97-3-19(2), 97-3-21(3), 99-19-51

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FAQ

Does Mississippi have the death penalty?
Mississippi has the death penalty in law. A person convicted of capital murder is sentenced to death, life imprisonment without parole, or life imprisonment with parole eligibility under § 47-7-3(1)(c)(iii). Capital murder includes killing a peace officer or firefighter on duty, murder for hire, murder by bomb, killing during listed felonies such as rape, robbery, burglary, kidnapping or arson, murder of an elected official, and murder of three or more people in one episode. The statute names lethal injection as the preferred method and also allows nitrogen hypoxia, electrocution or firing squad, chosen by the Commissioner of Corrections.

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.