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Can you summarize MSCO 43-47-7?
Mississippi Vulnerable Persons Act > Reporting abuse, neglect, or exploitation; establishment of central register; confidentiality.
Short Summary
This legal document, known as the Mississippi Vulnerable Persons Act, requires any person who knows or suspects that a vulnerable person has been or is being abused, neglected, or exploited to immediately report such knowledge or suspicion to the Department of Human Services or the county department of human services. The reporting obligation applies to various professionals, including attorneys, physicians, nurses, mental health professionals, social workers, law enforcement officers, and financial service providers. The report must contain information such as the vulnerable person’s details, names of family members, alleged perpetrator, caregiver, description of the abuse or neglect, and actions taken by the reporter. Failure to comply with the reporting requirement can result in misdemeanor charges, with penalties including fines and imprisonment. The Department of Human Services is responsible for investigating reported cases and maintaining a central register of reports. The information in the register is confidential and can only be accessed by authorized individuals or entities for specific purposes.
Whom does it apply to?
Any person including, but not limited to, attorneys, physicians, nurses, health professionals, mental health professionals, practitioners who rely on spiritual means for healing, social workers, law enforcement officers, human rights advocacy committee members, financial service providers, and any person or entity holding or required to hold a license as specified in Title 73, Professions and Vocations, Mississippi Code of 1972
What does it govern?
Reporting abuse, neglect, or exploitation; establishment of central register; confidentiality
What are exemptions?
Recognized legal financial transactions are not considered cause to report the knowledge or suspicion of the financial exploitation of a vulnerable person.
What are the Penalties?
A person who fails to make a required report or knowingly fails to comply with this section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six (6) months, or both such fine and imprisonment.
Jurisdiction
Mississippi