Mississippi outstanding warrants are issued by magistrates who have the power to preside over criminal matters. The police will approach the tribunal with an affidavit that explains the criminal occurrence and the role of the suspect in this act. The purpose of this exercise is to prove it to the magistrate that the evidence is indeed enough to hold the accused responsible for the crime.
The criminal procedure of Mississippi is the part of the state’s legal framework that has been designed to handle adult offenders. Despite being accused of criminal transgressions, suspects do have certain procedural rights which are guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Although the exact process followed for trying criminals may vary from one state to another, care is taken to ensure that the local laws do not infringe upon these constitutional rights.
The Mississippi Department of Public safety hosts the crime information center for the state which is a central repository of all arrest records and active warrants issued in criminal matters. The Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) which was organized in 1966 is the largest investigative tool of its kind in the hands of law enforcement.
The Mississippi judicial network comprises of an apex body, a Court of Appeals and numerous general and limited jurisdiction tribunals. A two tier appellate system is used to handle reviews from lower tribunals. In terms of trial courts, these are segregated into those that have general authority over all criminal and civil cases and others that can only hear specific types of cases.
In Mississippi, active warrants are issued by a magistrate based on the written word presented before the bench by the police. The affidavit which comes from the office of the sheriff is meant to show that probable cause can be established on the basis of the evidence alone which points to the involvement of the accused in a criminal occurrence.