Child abuse; require mandatory minimums and arrests for severe child abuse.

HB 1059 would require mandatory minimum prison sentences for severe child abuse in Mississippi. For the most serious acts - such as burning, torture, strangling, poisoning, starving, or using deadly weapons on a child - the minimum sentence would be five years, with life imprisonment for repeat offenses. For other severe acts causing bodily harm (like striking a young child in the face or head), the minimum sentence would be two years. The bill also mandates that law enforcement make an arrest of suspected child abusers within a specific time frame and prevents these crimes from qualifying for certain sentence reductions.