Felony Theft Amount and Penalties in Mississippi

Theft (called larceny) becomes a felony, grand larceny, when the property is worth $1,000 or more. Grand larceny tiers: $1,000 to less than $5,000, up to 5 years and/or a fine up to $10,000; $5,000 to less than $25,000, up to 10 years and/or up to $10,000; $25,000 or more, up to 20 years and/or up to $10,000 (§ 97-17-41(1)-(3)). Property worth 'under the value of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00)' is petit larceny, punishable by up to six months in county jail and/or a fine up to $1,000; a third or later petit larceny where the property is worth at least $500 is punishable by up to three years in the Penitentiary (§ 97-17-43(1)). Values taken from a single victim are added together (aggregated).

Mississippi does not divide felonies into classes or degrees; each offense statute sets its own maximum penitentiary term and fine. 'The term ‘felony,’ when used in any statute, shall mean any violation of law punished with death or confinement in the penitentiary' (§ 1-3-11, as quoted by the Mississippi Supreme Court).

Mississippi does not group misdemeanors into classes; each offense statute sets its own fine and jail term. When a statute makes conduct a crime without setting a penalty, the default punishment is a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), up to six months in the county jail, or both (§ 99-19-31). Under § 1-3-11, a 'felony' is any violation punished with death or confinement in the penitentiary, so offenses punished only by fine or county jail are misdemeanors.