Mississippi § 45-27-11 - Review or challenge of criminal offender records; correction of errors in records.

§ 45-27-11. Review or challenge of criminal offender records; correction of errors in records.

The center shall make a person’s criminal records available for inspection by him or his attorney upon written request. Prior to inspection, the person must submit a set of fingerprints, sign a written authorization for the records check, and provide any other identifying information required by the center. Should such person or his attorney contest the accuracy of any portion of such records, the center shall make available to such person or his attorney a copy of the contested record upon written application identifying the portion of the record contested and showing the reason for the contest of accuracy. Forms, procedures, fees, identification and other related aspects pertinent to such access may be prescribed by the center in making access available. If an individual believes such information to be inaccurate or incomplete, he may request the original agency having custody or control of the records to purge, modify or supplement them and to so notify the center of such changes. Should the agency decline to so act or should the individual believe the agency’s decision to be otherwise unsatisfactory, the individual or his attorney may within thirty (30) days of such decision enter an appeal to the county or circuit court of the county of his residence or to such court in the county where such agency exists. The court in each such case shall conduct a de novo hearing and may order such relief as it finds to be required by law. Such appeals shall be entered in the same manner as other appeals are entered. Should the record in question be found to be inaccurate or incomplete, the court shall order it to be appropriately expunged, modified or supplemented by an explanatory notation. Each agency or individual in the state with custody, possession or control of any such record shall promptly cause each and every copy thereof in his custody, possession or control to be altered in accordance with the court’s order. Notification of each such deletion, amendment and supplementary notation shall be promptly disseminated to any individuals or agencies to which the records in question have been communicated as well as to the individual whose records have been ordered so altered. The center shall not be held liable for the failure to modify, supplement, destroy or expunge records if an agency or court fails to forward to the center proper documentation ordering such action. Agencies, including the center, at which criminal offender records are sought to be inspected may prescribe reasonable hours and places of inspection and may impose such additional procedures, fees or restrictions, including fingerprinting, as are reasonably necessary both to assure the record’s security, to verify the identities of those who seek to inspect them and to maintain an orderly and efficient mechanism for such access.