Joint Bench Warrant Task Force proposes using email instead of certified mail to alert bondsmen of absent defendants

Joint Bench Warrant Task Force proposes.

Key points

• Mississippi Joint Task Force Vigilance to employ $2.5 million from Justice Department to fight fraud.
• Such a system is at present in apply in the Fifteenth Circuit Court District where committee member Judge Brad Touchstone serves.
• Tuesday's discussion was meant to lay the groundwork as the Legislature prepares for the 2027 session as lawmakers consider feasible legislation to be filed come January.
• 3 of Nolan Wells' friends sue NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens for defamation.
• On Tuesday, the Joint Bench Warrant Task Force held a session to discuss a path toward forming such a statewide system for circuit courts.

Joint Bench Warrant Task Force proposes using email instead of certified mail to alert bondsmen of absent defendants. By: Jeremy Pittari – October 7, 2026.

Email notifications could be sent automatically through the existing Mississippi Electronic Courts system at no extra costs.

In a bid to alert bail bondsmen to the fact their client failed to show for court in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, a committee in the Legislature is considering a shift away from using certified mail to instead using emails through Mississippi Electronic Courts.

At present, each of Mississippi's 82 counties apply various methods to alert bail bondsmen that their client was absent from court, including certified mail. That process can take a month or more before the bonding firm is notified in some instances, Mike Morrison, owner of a bonding business with regarding 900 agents, informed the committee. Morrison suggested using MEC's email system to send those notifications automatically.

"We have to change two statutes to create this compliant. Again, working with Judge Touchstone, we tried to think of every scenario to create this work on the first time. We don't want to have to come back and bother the Legislature, " Morrison explained.

Changing to that method would provide clerks with the ability to update the MEC system of a defendant's status as court proceedings are taking place, potentially notifying the bonding agent much sooner.

"The bail bonding company would have almost instantaneous notification, or by the end of the day or by the following morning, that our client failed to appear, " Morrison remarked.

Quick turnaround times will additionally allow the bonding agent to determine if a clerical error was involved and avoid the issuance of a bench warrant.

According to MEC Director Nathan Evans, apply of the email system is already present within MEC, meaning there would be no cost of implementation. Clerks will still have the option to employ certified mail should they choose.

Certified mail is not only slower than email, it is a costly method of notification in both funds and manpower, the committee was informed.

"This gets the county out from having to spend thousands of dollars on mail that could be delivered instantly with an email with the system the state has invested a lot of money in, " Touchstone explained.

Marion County Circuit Clerk Janette Nolan remarked the clerks she knows backing moving to the MEC email system, especially since it would reduce the need for staff to create, copy and send certified mail notifications.

Some of the problems that need to be addressed include providing an straightforward way for bail bondsmen to update their email address system wide as well as determining how plenty of working days the judge has to sign the order and time the clerk has to send the notification.

Current state statute notes clerks have 10 working days to send a notification after the judge signs the order. State Rep. Kevin Horan (R) suggested adding language that puts a 10 working day deadline for the judge to sign those orders, for a total of 20 working days.

Tuesday's discussion was meant to lay the groundwork as the Legislature prepares for the 2027 session as lawmakers consider feasible legislation to be filed come January. Regarding the Author(s).

Jeremy Pittari is a lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast. Born and raised in Slidell, La., he moved to South Mississippi in the early 90s. Jeremy earned an associate in arts from Pearl River Community College and went on to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor's of arts in journalism. A week after Hurricane Katrina, he began an internship as a reporter with the community newspaper in Pearl River County. After graduation, he accepted a full-time position at that news outlet where he covered the recovery process post Katrina in Pearl River and Hancock Counties. For almost 17 years he wrote concerning local administration, education, law enforcement, crime, business and a variety of other topics. Email Jeremy: [email protected].

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In short, joint Bench Warrant Task Force proposes using email instead of certified mail is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.