Mississippi Child Pornography Laws
Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last updated June 20, 2016
Child pornography is a crime in every state. Generally, child pornography laws make it a crime to produce, possess, distribute, or sell child pornography. Under Mississippi's child pornography laws, child pornography is defined as any material that depicts a child under 18 years old engaging in any sexually explicit conduct.
The following chart highlights Mississippi's main child pornography laws.
Code Section |
Mississippi Code section 97-5-31 through 35: Exploitation of Children |
Definitions |
"Child" means any individual who is less than 18 years old. "Sexually explicit conduct" means actual or simulated:
|
What's Prohibited? |
Producing Child Pornography:
Possessing Child Pornography:
Distributing Child Pornography:
|
Undercover Police Officers |
The fact that an undercover police officer posed as a child in the course of an investigation isn't a defense to a child pornography prosecution. |
Jurisdiction |
The jurisdiction of this law covers all of the offenses listed above if all or part of the offense occurs in Mississippi, or if the transmission that constitute the offense either originates or is received in Mississippi. |
Penalties |
First offense: Felony. Punishable by a fine of between $50,000 and $500,000 and by imprisonment for between five and 40 years. Second (or subsequent) offense: Felony. Punishable by a fine of between $100,000 and $1,000,000 and by imprisonment for between 20 years and life in prison. |
Sexting Laws
"Sexting" is the act of sending an explicit photo or message with a cellphone. While sexting may not appear to be criminal in nature, minors who sext naked photos of themselves to others may be in violation of Mississippi's child pornography laws because Mississippi doesn't have an exception for minors who sext other minors. Therefore, it is possible for two teenagers who are sexting each other to violate the state's child pornography laws and face possible jail time.
For additional information see Child Pornography and Selfies: What You Need to Know.
Additional Resources
State laws change frequently. For case specific information regarding Mississippi's child pornography laws contact a local criminal defense attorney.
Next Steps: Search for a Local Attorney
Contact a qualified attorney.