Mississippi’s Harmful Habitual Offender Laws [Video]

How did a Mississippi man end up getting sentenced to serve 60 years in prison for purchasing cold medicine and batteries? Blame the state’s ineffective and unjust habitual offender laws — Mississippi’s version of a “three-strikes” law — which continue to ruin lives with extreme prison sentences for relatively minor crimes.

Our panel discusses the roots of these unjust laws, the ongoing resistance to reform, and their role in exacerbating a raging state prison crisis. Panelists include:

• Lauren Gill, Reporter, The Appeal
• Andre’ De Gruy, State Public Defender for Mississippi
• Molly Gill, Vice President of Policy, Families Against Mandatory Minimums