Mississippi lawmakers are considering legislation that would create a public registry for people convicted of multiple domestic violence offenses, a measure aimed at alerting potential victims to their abusers’ histories. The bills are supported by domestic violence advocates and a survivor whose experience prompted the effort.
The proposed registries would display an offender’s name, picture, county of conviction and charges, maintained by the state Department of Public Safety. The effort follows Tennessee’s creation of ‘Savanna’s Law’ in 2022, named for a sheriff’s deputy killed by an ex-boyfriend who had a prior history of domestic violence.
A survivor’s push for change
Kimberly Bartlett endured a year of beatings and strangulation at the hands of two former partners, both of whom are now incarcerated. She didn’t know at the time that both men had prior histories of domestic violence.
When Bartlett, an Ellisville resident, learned about Tennessee’s effort to create a registry for repeat abusers, she decided to push for similar action in Mississippi. She reached out to a local lawmaker and the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
“This has got to happen for our sake,” Bartlett said about the need for the registry for survivors, parents and the public.
“You want to be able to check and verify in black and white that this person is who they say they are, that they are safe,” she added.
The proposed registry bills
Rep. Charles Blackwell, a Republican from Ellisville, and Sen. Kamesha Mumford, a Clinton Democrat, each proposed registry bills supported by the coalition. Blackwell’s bill is called the “Purple Angels Law,” while Mumford’s Senate bill is expected to have a similar name. Additionally, Rep. Lance Varner of Florence and Sen. Angela Burks Hill of Picayune filed companion bills with language similar to Tennessee’s law.
The bills are named for domestic violence victims, including those who have died, said Luis Montgomery, policy and justice strategist for the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
A repeat domestic violence offender would need to be convicted at least once in Mississippi, though any prior conviction can be from in or out of the state. The registry would list repeat offenders for crimes committed after the law takes effect, though any prior convictions used to establish eligibility can be from before that date.
The duration of registry listing would depend on conviction history. Under one set of proposals, offenders would be listed for five years for one conviction, seven years for two prior convictions, a decade for three priors and 20 years for four prior convictions. Blackwell and Mumford’s bills propose lifetime listing on the registry for anyone convicted of felony domestic violence, which can include aggravated domestic violence and more than three misdemeanor domestic violence assaults.
The proposed bills would establish a registry fee paid by those convicted of multiple domestic violence offenses. A portion of the money would go to support administrative costs, with the rest deposited into the state’s Domestic Violence Fund to provide grants for prevention, intervention and victim support services.
Building on Tennessee’s precedent
Tennessee’s “Savanna’s Law” was named for Savanna Puckett, a 22-year-old sheriff’s deputy who was killed by her ex-boyfriend on January 23, 2022. James Jackson Conn pleaded guilty to first-degree, premeditated murder and is serving a life sentence. Investigators found he had a history of domestic violence and stalking other women.
The push for a repeat offender registry builds on momentum from the previous legislative session, when lawmakers created Mississippi’s domestic violence fatality review committee. Montgomery serves as vice chairman of the group, which is in the process of developing processes and policies to start reviewing domestic violence homicides and other deaths.
Bartlett said she has seen how women are scared to talk about domestic violence, which can lead to their voices being silenced and abuse being pushed under the rug. She hopes a registry can help spread awareness about the issue and empower people who use it.