Mississippi Jury Instruction No. 1

Sixteen-year-old William Haymon has spent more than 500 days in an adult jail in rural Lexington, Mississippi. There are no state rules governing how long a person can be incarcerated without being formally charged with a crime.

If you are selected to serve on this Grand jury panel, you will serve approximately one to three days every month for an eighteen (18) month period.

Every person arrested on a felony charge in Mississippi has a right to an initial appearance before a judge within 48 hours, unless the defendant has been indicted by a grand jury or is released from custody prior to the initial appearance occurring.

If the juror fails to show good cause for noncompliance with the summons, the juror may be held in civil contempt of court and may be fined not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($ 500.00) or imprisoned not more than three (3) days, or both.

On the average, jurors serve approximately 1-3 days during a one month term of service. The Judge will adjourn the jury each evening and will instruct you on what time you must return the following morning. You must check in with the Jury Department each morning.

The criminal statute of limitations requires prosecutors to file criminal charges against a suspect within two years for misdemeanors and within five years for certain felonies, but there is no time limit in Mississippi for charges of murder, kidnapping, rape, burglary, robbery, larceny, and several other serious

There is no statutory entitlement for employees to be paid their normal wages in respect of absence due to jury service. An employee who is not paid in full by their employer during jury service can claim an allowance for loss of earnings from the court, but this may not cover their normal wages.

One may be excused from jury duty if their presence is required at home or if there is an emergency or personal illness. If you are 65 years of age or older and wish to be exempt from service, a juror's affidavit of excuse should be signed and mailed to the Circuit Clerk's office.