A criminal conspiracy is generally a partnership formed to commit a crime or crimes. A criminal conspiracy exists when two or more persons form an agreement to violate a law that includes criminal penalties, and then take one or more steps designed to accomplish the goal of the conspiracy.

Federal and state statutes make criminal conspiracies illegal for two primary purposes: (1) to help combat the powerful forces created when two or more people collaborate to commit a crime; and (2) to allow criminal prosecutors (state and federal) to prosecute persons who play a role in planning a crime but who are not involved in the physical acts taken to complete the underlying crime.

For example, under federal law, if two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency of the United States in any manner or for any purpose, and one or more of such persons do any act to accomplish the objective of the conspiracy, each of the conspirators may be fined under and imprisoned for up to five years. See 18 U.S.C. §371. And most states have statutes (usually located in the penal or criminal code) that make criminal conspiracies a crime and include significant punishment upon conviction.

In Mississippi, criminal conspiracy is recognized as a partnership between two or more individuals who agree to commit a crime and then take steps towards achieving that crime. This is in line with the general principle that conspiracy laws are designed to dismantle the collaborative efforts to commit crimes and to prosecute those involved in the planning stages, even if they do not participate in the actual commission of the crime. Mississippi's conspiracy statute is codified under Mississippi Code Section 97-1-1, which states that if two or more persons conspire to commit any felony, and one or more of them does an overt act towards the commission of such felony, each conspirator may be charged with conspiracy. The penalties for conspiracy in Mississippi vary depending on the nature of the felony that the conspirators intended to commit, but they generally include fines and imprisonment. This state-level approach complements the federal law under 18 U.S.C. §371, which similarly criminalizes conspiracies to commit offenses against the United States or to defraud the United States, with penalties including fines and imprisonment for up to five years.