Mississippi Code

Miss. Code Ann. § 97-5-5 (2026)

Enticing child for concealment, prostitution or marriage

✓ current as of July 2026

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Every person who shall maliciously, willfully, or fraudulently lead, take, carry away, decoy or entice away, any child under the age of fourteen (14) years, with intent to detain or conceal such child from its parents, guardian, or other person having lawful charge of such child, or for the purpose of prostitution, concubinage, or marriage, shall, on conviction, be imprisoned in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not less than two (2) years nor more than ten (10) years, or fined not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or both. Investigation and prosecution of a defendant under this section does not preclude prosecution of the defendant for a violation of other applicable criminal laws, including, but not limited to, the Mississippi Human Trafficking Act, Section 97-3-54 et seq.

Codes, Hutchinson's 1848, ch. 64, art. 12, Title 3 (31); 1857, ch. 64, art. 58; 1871, § 2529; 1880, § 2753; 1892, § 1002; 1906, § 1079; Hemingway's 1917, § 806; 1930, § 825; 1942, § 2051.

Amended by Laws, 2013, ch. 543, HB 673, 14, eff. 7/1/2013.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 4 cases, 1988–2001 · leading case: Ishee v. State, 799 So. 2d 70 (Miss. 2001).

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Ishee v. State, 799 So. 2d 70 (Miss. 2001). · cites it 2× “Finally, I would note that under the facts of the present case, it is probable that Ishee could have been more appropriately charged under Miss.Code Ann. § 97-5-5 (2000), Mississippi's anti-luring statute.”

Mitchell v. Random House, Inc., 703 F. Supp. 1250 (S.D. Miss. 1988). · cites it 2× “Plaintiff urges that the defamatory meaning of the words can hardly be questioned in light of Miss.Code Ann. § 97-5-5 under which it is a crime and was in 1947 a crime for any person to maliciously, wilfully or fraudulently lead, take, carry away, decoy or entice away, any child…”

Whitney Glenn Ishee v. State of Mississippi (Miss. 1998). · cites it 2× “Miss. Code Ann. § 97-5-5 (Rev. 1994). The statute also prohibits enticing for purpose of "prostitution, concubinage, or marriage," but that is an alternative to proving that the purpose was to conceal from the child's parents.”

Whitney Glenn Ishee v. State of Mississippi (Miss. 1998). · cites it 2× “Finally, I would note that under the facts of the present case, it is probable that Ishee could have been more appropriately charged under Miss. Code Ann. § 97-5-5 (2000), Mississippi's anti-luring statute.”

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