Mississippi Code
Miss. Code Ann. § 47-7-37 (2026)
Period of probation; arrest, revocation and recommitment for violation of probation or postrelease supervision; hearing; revocation of probation for technical violation; imprisonment in technical violation center; certain restrictions on imposition of bail for persons required to register as sex offender
✓ current as of July 2026
- (1) The period of probation shall be fixed by the court, and may at any time be extended or terminated by the court, or judge in vacation. Such period with any extension thereof shall not exceed five (5) years, except that in cases of desertion and/or failure to support minor children, the period of probation may be fixed and/or extended by the court for so long as the duty to support such minor children exists. The time served on probation or post-release supervision may be reduced pursuant to Section 47-7-40.
- (2) At any time during the period of probation, the court, or judge in vacation, may issue a warrant for violating any of the conditions of probation or suspension of sentence and cause the probationer to be arrested. Any probation and parole officer may arrest a probationer without a warrant, or may deputize any other officer with power of arrest to do so by giving him a written statement setting forth that the probationer has, in the judgment of the probation and parole officer, violated the conditions of probation. Such written statement delivered with the probationer by the arresting officer to the official in charge of a county jail or other place of detention shall be sufficient warrant for the detention of the probationer.
- (3) Whenever an offender is arrested on a warrant for an alleged violation of probation as herein provided, the department shall hold an informal preliminary hearing within seventy-two (72) hours of the arrest to determine whether there is reasonable cause to believe the person has violated a condition of probation. A preliminary hearing shall not be required when the offender is not under arrest on a warrant or the offender signed a waiver of a preliminary hearing. The preliminary hearing may be conducted electronically. If reasonable cause is found, the offender may be confined no more than twenty-one (21) days from the admission to detention until a revocation hearing is held. If the revocation hearing is not held within twenty-one (21) days, the probationer shall be released from custody and returned to probation status.
- (4) If a probationer or offender is subject to registration as a sex offender, the court must make a finding that the probationer or offender is not a danger to the public prior to release with or without bail. In determining the danger posed by the release of the offender or probationer, the court may consider the nature and circumstances of the violation and any new offenses charged; the offender or probationer's past and present conduct, including convictions of crimes and any record of arrests without conviction for crimes involving violence or sex crimes; any other evidence of allegations of unlawful sexual conduct or the use of violence by the offender or probationer; the offender or probationer's family ties, length of residence in the community, employment history and mental condition; the offender or probationer's history and conduct during the probation or other supervised release and any other previous supervisions, including disciplinary records of previous incarcerations; the likelihood that the offender or probationer will engage again in a criminal course of conduct; the weight of the evidence against the offender or probationer; and any other facts the court considers relevant.
- (5)
- (a) The probation and parole officer after making an arrest shall present to the detaining authorities a similar statement of the circumstances of violation. The probation and parole officer shall at once notify the court of the arrest and detention of the probationer and shall submit a report in writing showing in what manner the probationer has violated the conditions of probation. Within twenty-one (21) days of arrest and detention by warrant as herein provided, the court shall cause the probationer to be brought before it and may continue or revoke all or any part of the probation or the suspension of sentence. If the court revokes probation for one or more technical violations, the court shall impose a period of imprisonment to be served in either a technical violation center or a restitution center not to exceed ninety (90) days for the first revocation and not to exceed one hundred twenty (120) days for the second revocation. For the third revocation, the court may impose a period of imprisonment to be served in either a technical violation center or a restitution center for up to one hundred eighty (180) days or the court may impose the remainder of the suspended portion of the sentence. For the fourth and any subsequent revocation, the court may impose up to the remainder of the suspended portion of the sentence. The period of imprisonment in a technical violation center imposed under this section shall not be reduced in any manner.
- (b) If the offender is not detained as a result of the warrant, the court shall cause the probationer to be brought before it within a reasonable time and may continue or revoke all or any part of the probation or the suspension of sentence, and may cause the sentence imposed to be executed or may impose any part of the sentence which might have been imposed at the time of conviction. If the court revokes probation for one or more technical violations, the court shall impose a period of imprisonment to be served in either a technical violation center or a restitution center not to exceed ninety (90) days for the first revocation and not to exceed one hundred twenty (120) days for the second revocation. For the third revocation, the court may impose a period of imprisonment to be served in either a technical violation center or a restitution center for up to one hundred eighty (180) days or the court may impose the remainder of the suspended portion of the sentence. For the fourth and any subsequent revocation, the court may impose up to the remainder of the suspended portion of the sentence. The period of imprisonment in a technical violation center imposed under this section shall not be reduced in any manner.
- (c) If the court does not hold a hearing or does not take action on the violation within the twenty-one-day period, the offender shall be released from detention and shall return to probation status. The court may subsequently hold a hearing and may revoke probation or may continue probation and modify the terms and conditions of probation. If the court revokes probation for one or more technical violations, the court shall impose a period of imprisonment to be served in either a technical violation center operated by the department or a restitution center not to exceed ninety (90) days for the first revocation and not to exceed one hundred twenty (120) days for the second revocation. For the third revocation, the court may impose a period of imprisonment to be served in either a technical violation center or a restitution center for up to one hundred eighty (180) days or the court may impose the remainder of the suspended portion of the sentence. For the fourth and any subsequent revocation, the court may impose up to the remainder of the suspended portion of the sentence. The period of imprisonment in a technical violation center imposed under this section shall not be reduced in any manner.
- (d) For an offender charged with a technical violation who has not been detained awaiting the revocation hearing, the court may hold a hearing within a reasonable time. The court may revoke probation or may continue probation and modify the terms and conditions of probation. If the court revokes probation for one or more technical violations the court shall impose a period of imprisonment to be served in either a technical violation center operated by the department or a restitution center not to exceed ninety (90) days for the first revocation and not to exceed one hundred twenty (120) days for the second revocation. For the third revocation, the court may impose a period of imprisonment to be served in either a technical violation center or a restitution center for up to one hundred eighty (180) days or the court may impose the remainder of the suspended portion of the sentence. For the fourth and any subsequent revocation, the court may impose up to the remainder of the suspended portion of the sentence. The period of imprisonment in a technical violation center imposed under this section shall not be reduced in any manner.
- (6) If the probationer is arrested in a circuit court district in the State of Mississippi other than that in which he was convicted, the probation and parole officer, upon the written request of the sentencing judge, shall furnish to the circuit court or the county court of the county in which the arrest is made, or to the judge of such court, a report concerning the probationer, and such court or the judge in vacation shall have authority, after a hearing, to continue or revoke all or any part of probation or all or any part of the suspension of sentence, and may in case of revocation proceed to deal with the case as if there had been no probation. In such case, the clerk of the court in which the order of revocation is issued shall forward a transcript of such order to the clerk of the court of original jurisdiction, and the clerk of that court shall proceed as if the order of revocation had been issued by the court of original jurisdiction. Upon the revocation of probation or suspension of sentence of any offender, such offender shall be placed in the legal custody of the State Department of Corrections and shall be subject to the requirements thereof.
- (7) Any probationer who removes himself from the State of Mississippi without permission of the court placing him on probation, or the court to which jurisdiction has been transferred, shall be deemed and considered a fugitive from justice and shall be subject to extradition as now provided by law. No part of the time that one is on probation shall be considered as any part of the time that he shall be sentenced to serve.
- (8) The arresting officer, except when a probation and parole officer, shall be allowed the same fees as now provided by law for arrest on warrant, and such fees shall be taxed against the probationer and paid as now provided by law.
- (9) The arrest, revocation and recommitment procedures of this section also apply to persons who are serving a period of post-release supervision imposed by the court.
- (10) Unless good cause for the delay is established in the record of the proceeding, the probation revocation charge shall be dismissed if the revocation hearing is not held within thirty (30) days of the warrant being issued.
- (11) The Department of Corrections shall provide semiannually to the Oversight Task Force the number of warrants issued for an alleged violation of probation or post-release supervision, the average time between detention on a warrant and preliminary hearing, the average time between detention on a warrant and revocation hearing, the number of ninety-day sentences in a technical violation center issued by the court, the number of one-hundred-twenty-day sentences in a technical violation center issued by the court, the number of one-hundred-eighty-day sentences issued by the court, and the number and average length of the suspended sentences imposed by the court in response to a violation.
Codes, 1942, § 4004-25; Laws, 1956, ch. 262, § 12; Laws, 1962, ch. 331; brought forward, Laws, 1981, ch. 465, § 108; reenacted, Laws, 1984, ch. 471, § 118; reenacted, Laws, 1986, ch. 413, § 118; Laws, 1990, ch. 331, § 1; Laws, 1992, ch. 395, § 1; Laws, 1995, ch. 596, § 11; Laws, 2006, ch. 566, § 6, eff. 7/1/2006.
Amended by Laws, 2018, ch. 416, HB 387,§ 11, eff. 7/1/2018.
Amended by Laws, 2014, ch. 457, HB 585, 58, eff. 7/1/2014.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 114
cases (8 in the last 5 years), 1985–2026 · leading case: Karanja L. Cobbert v. State of Mississippi, 223 So. 3d 822 (Miss. Ct. App. 2017).
Karanja L. Cobbert v. State of Mississippi, 223 So. 3d 822 (Miss. Ct. App. 2017). “See Miss. Code Ann. § 47-7-37 (Rev. 2015). Cobbert’s argument confuses the statutory definition of a “technical violation” with a revocation order, which may be based on one or more technical violations.”
Atwood v. State, 183 So. 3d 843 (Miss. 2016). “” Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37 (Rev.2006). Through House Bill 585, the Legislature amended Section 47-7-37.”
Carter v. State, 754 So. 2d 1207 (Miss. 2000). “Although this Court found that the probation itself was not in excess of Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37 (Supp.1999)(5 year maximum probation) and that Miss.”
Howell v. State, 860 So. 2d 704 (Miss. 2003). “Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37 (Rev.2000). Accordingly, we find that this issue is wholly without merit.”
Ellis v. State, 748 So. 2d 130 (Miss. 1999). “This warrant, which was not sworn and was not issued by a judge, deputized "any probation officer of the Mississippi Department of Corrections or any other officer authorized to serve criminal process in this State" to arrest Ellis under the authority of Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37…”
Wilson v. State, 735 So. 2d 290 (Miss. 1999). “" Wilson disagrees with this label, but argues that if his sentence is deemed "unsupervised probation", the sentence violates Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37 which provides: The period of probation shall be fixed by the court, and may at any time be extended or terminated by the court,…”
Johnson v. State, 925 So. 2d 86 (Miss. 2006). “Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37 (Supp.1999).... A suspension of a sentence does not automatically mean that the defendant will be on probation and under a duty to report to a probation officer.”
Payton v. State, 845 So. 2d 713 (Miss. Ct. App. 2003). “Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37 (Rev.2000). Payton failed to establish that he is being held unlawfully in custody.”
Artis v. State, 643 So. 2d 533 (Miss. 1994). “As it is our view that Artis did include sufficient facts in the record to withstand the State's first argument, there remains the question of whether or not it was reversible error for the trial judge to revoke a suspended sentence for the violation of certain terms and…”
Tommy Vitela, Sr. v. State of Mississippi, 183 So. 3d 104 (Miss. Ct. App. 2015). “” Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37(7) (Supp.2014); see also Miss.”
Demario Walker v. State of Mississippi, 230 So. 3d 703 (Miss. 2017). “Miss. Code Ann. § 47-7-37 (Rev. 2014). . ¶ 11.”
Miss. Com'n on Jud. Perform. v. Byers, 757 So. 2d 961 (Miss. 2000). “The second allegation of misconduct arose from Judge Byers's improper extension of a defendant's probation in violation of Miss.Code Ann. §§ 47-7-37 & 47 (Supp.1999) and Canons 1, 2 A, 2 B and 3 A(1) of the Code of Judicial Conduct In 1992, (prior to Judge Byers's election), the…”
— Miss. Code Ann. § 47-7-37(5)(a) — 1 case
Atwood v. State, 183 So. 3d 843 (Miss. 2016). “” Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37 (Rev.2006). Through House Bill 585, the Legislature amended Section 47-7-37.”
— Miss. Code Ann. § 47-7-37(5)(b) — 1 case
David Adams v. State of Mississippi, 201 So. 3d 521 (Miss. Ct. App. 2016).
— Miss. Code Ann. § 47-7-37(5)(c) — 1 case
Jonathan Blankenship v. State of Mississippi (Miss. Ct. App. 2020).
— Miss. Code Ann. § 47-7-37(7) — 1 case
Tommy Vitela, Sr. v. State of Mississippi, 183 So. 3d 104 (Miss. Ct. App. 2015). “” Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37(7) (Supp.2014); see also Miss.”
— Miss. Code Ann. § 47-7-37(9) — 2 cases
Atwood v. State, 183 So. 3d 843 (Miss. 2016). “” Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37 (Rev.2006). Through House Bill 585, the Legislature amended Section 47-7-37.”
Tommy Vitela, Sr. v. State of Mississippi, 183 So. 3d 104 (Miss. Ct. App. 2015). “” Miss.Code Ann. § 47-7-37(7) (Supp.2014); see also Miss.”
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