Mississippi Youth Justice Project
P.O. Box 9283
Jackson, MS 39286
Phone: 601-948-8882
Web: www.splcenter.org/legal/myjp.jsp
Jed Oppenheim
Email: jed.oppenheim@splcenter.org
Found 28 matches.
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Dept. of Justice Consent Decree re: Meridian, Mississippi School District
Tags: Mississippi | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Court Decisions and Related Documents
A 2013 consent decree obtained by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) against the Meridian Municipal Separate School District to redress an unfair school disciplinary policy disproportionately affecting youth of color.
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Handcuffs on Success: The Extreme School Discipline Crisis in Mississippi Public Schools
Tags: Mississippi | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
This report focuses on the negative effects of exclusionary discipline in Mississippi's public schools and provides recommendations for legislators.
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U.S. Department of Justice Findings: Investigation of the Shelby County Juvenile Court
Tags: Mississippi | Disproportionate Minority Contact | Reports
U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division finds discriminatory treatment towards African-American children in Shelby County Juvenile Court, along with systematic due process violations.
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Department of Justice Investigation of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility (Walnut Grove, Mississippi)
Tags: Mississippi | Reports
The Department of Justice findings in the investigation of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility report that the Mississippi facility violated the constitutional and federal statutory rights of youth held at the facility.
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U.S. Department of Justice Findings Letter Instructing Mississippi to Improve Mental Health Services for Youth, December 22, 2011
Tags: Mississippi | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
On December 22, 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a findings letter compelling Mississippi to reorganize its mental health facilities and departments, while deinstitutionalizing youth and providing community-based services that are more appropriate and cost-effective. The letter was the result of a full investigation that found Mississippi to be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the United States Supreme Court decision, Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999).
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U.S. Department of Justice Findings Summary, Community Choice Alliance
Tags: Mississippi | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
On December 22, 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a findings letter compelling Mississippi to reorganize its mental health facilities and departments, while deinstitutionalizing youth and providing community-based services that are more appropriate and cost-effective. The letter was the result of a full investigation that found Mississippi to be in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the United States Supreme Court decision, Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999).
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Forrest County, Mississippi Settles Lawsuit on Conditions and Access, M.T., et al. v. Forrest County, Mississippi, 2011
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
A class-action lawsuit against Forrest County, Mississippi challenged excessive shackling, physical abuse, filthy conditions, and overcrowding at the Forrest County Juvenile Detention Center. The lawsuit also challenged the facility's denial of access to the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) organization for Mississippi; under federal law, P&A organizations have a right to enter facilities, interview youth, and assess conditions.
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Mississippi Extends Jurisdiction of Juvenile Court to 17-Year-Olds, S.B. 2969
Tags: Mississippi | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
Mississippi legislation returns 17-year-olds charged with felonies (with the exception of murder, armed robbery and rape) to the original jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Prior to this legislation, all 17-year-olds were automatically prosecuted in adult court for any offense.
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Mississippi Creates Intensive Supervision Program as Alternative to Incarceration, H.B. 420
Tags: Mississippi | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Mississippi's new intensive supervision program creates community-based alternatives to imprisonment for youth throughout the state. The legislation creates slots for 75 youth in each county to participate in the program.
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Incarcerated Mississippi Youth No Longer Forced into Alternative Schools After Release, H.B. 1178
Tags: Mississippi | Aftercare/Reentry | Legislation
School districts in Mississippi are no longer required to place youth returning from an out-of-home placement into an alternative school. School districts must individually assess transitioning youth using a strengths and needs assessment that includes a determination of the youth's academic strengths and deficiencies. The individual assessment must also include a plan for transitioning the youth to a regular education setting at the earliest possible date.
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Mississippi Juvenile Justice Reform Briefing Book, Mississippi Coalition for the Prevention of Schoolhouse to Jailhouse
Tags: Mississippi | General System Reform | Reports
Briefing book summarizing the need for reform in Mississippi's juvenile justice system. Brief makes four policy recommendations: (1) ending reliance on paramilitary training schools, (2) investing in community-based sanctions, (3) creating the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission and (4) protecting the rights of court-involved youth.
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Lauderdale County, Mississippi Settles Lawsuit over Abusive Conditions at Detention Center, E.W. v. Lauderdale County, April 30, 2010
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Court Decisions and Related Documents
Lauderdale County, Mississippi settled a class-action lawsuit that alleged abusive conditions at the Lauderdale Juvenile Detention Center. The agreement ensures that youth at the detention center can no longer be locked in cells all day; ends the indiscriminate use of pepper spray and mace; requires clean and sanitary conditions; mandates health and mental health screening and treatment; requires adequate educational, rehabilitative, and recreational programs; and ends the use of a chair with mechanical restraints.
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Mississippi Extends Jurisdiction of Juvenile Court to 17-Year-Olds, Mississippi, S.B. 2969
Tags: Mississippi | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
Extends juvenile court jurisdiction to 17-year-olds. The court may still transfer youth to the adult court if deemed appropriate.
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Mississippi Expands Authority of Juvenile Detention Monitoring Unit, S.B. 2950
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
The Mississippi State Legislature expanded the authority of the state's juvenile detention monitoring unit, which is now responsible for investigating, evaluating, and securing the rights of youth held in juvenile justice facilities, including detention centers, training schools, and group homes, in order to ensure that the facilities operate in compliance with national best practices and state and federal law.
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Mississippi Limits Use of Secure Confinement for Nonviolent Offenses, S.B. 2984
Tags: Mississippi | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Legislation
Building on H.B. 1494 from 2009, Mississippi law now provides that no child who has been adjudicated delinquent for a nonviolent felony or fewer than three misdemeanors may be committed to the state training school. The legislation encourages placement in the least restrictive environment for those youth committed to the state Division of Youth Services. The law will downsize the Oakley Training School and help ensure that youth who commit low-level offenses are not imprisoned.
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Harrison County, Mississippi Commits to Improving Detention Center Conditions, D.W. v. Harrison County, Case No. 1:09-cv-267 LG-RHN (S.D. Miss.), Jun 24, 2009
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
Harrison County, Mississippi settled a federal class-action lawsuit that sought to end the physical abuse of youth, denial of mental health care for suicidal youth, and other unconstitutional conditions in the Harrison County Juvenile Detention Center. The settlement addresses overcrowding, cell confinement, use of restraints, use of force, suicide prevention, hygiene and sanitation, and staff training.
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Mississippi Prohibits Sending Nonviolent, First-Time Juvenile Offenders to Training School Without Specific Finding from the Court, H.B. 1494
Tags: Mississippi | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Legislation
Mississippi prohibits courts from sending first-time nonviolent juvenile offenders or youth under the age of 10 to the state training school without first making a specific finding of fact by a preponderance of the evidence. The court must assess "what is in the best rehabilitative interest of the child and the public safety of communities and that there is no reasonable alternative to a non-secure setting and therefore secure commitment is appropriate." The law also requires the court to make a similar finding of fact by a preponderance of the evidence before it sends a first-time nonviolent youth offender to detention for more than 90 days.
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Mississippi Strengthens Representation of Youth at Critical Stages, S.B. 2939
Tags: Mississippi | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
The Mississippi State Legislature specified the critical stages at which juveniles must be represented by counsel, including, but not limited to, detention, adjudicatory and disposition hearings, parole or probation revocation proceedings, and post-disposition matters. The law also specifies that the youth's attorney "shall owe the same duties of undivided loyalty, confidentiality and competent representation ... as is due an adult client."
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D.W. v. Harrison County, Complaint, Mississippi
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
Court complaint filed against Harrison County, Mississippi to stop abuses at the juvenile detention center.
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Mississippi Authorizes Community-Based Services, H.B. 471
Tags: Mississippi | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
A Mississippi law now specifically authorizes the Department of Human Services to develop regional and community-based juvenile residential facilities and specialized therapeutic programs and facilities.
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Mississippi Closes Abusive Training School for Girls, Mississippi, H.B. 244/Chapter 555
Tags: Mississippi | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
After a lawsuit filed in 2007, the Mississippi legislature passed a bill to close the Columbia Training School for girls.
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Mississippi Sets Educational Standards and Appropriations for Detained Youth, Mississippi, H.B. 348
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Sets new standards for education and requires the annual appropriation of sufficient funds for the provision of educational services to detained youth.
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Lawsuit Filed Over Treatment of Girls at State Reform Schools in Mississippi, New York Times
Tags: Mississippi | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents | Media
New York Times article about a lawsuit filed on behalf of female youth offenders who were subjected to abusive conditions at their Mississippi reform school.
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Mississippi Sets Educational Standards for Detained Youth, S.B. 2818/Chapter 568
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Sets new educational standards for youth in detention and requires annual appropriation of sufficient funds for the provision of these educational services.
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Mississippi Improves Access to Appellate Review, Mississippi, H.B. 298
Tags: Mississippi | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
Expands the mission of the state Office of Indigent Appeals to include appeals in juvenile cases. As originally created, the Office of Indigent Appeals was limited to adult, non-capital felonies.
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Mississippi Passes Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Act, Mississippi, H.B. 199
Tags: Mississippi | General System Reform | Prevention | Legislation
Provides for a number of system reforms. Some reforms include training requirements for juvenile defenders, the prohibition of detention for status offenses, and transitional planning for youth leaving training schools and detention centers.
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Mississippi Improves Monitoring and Conditions in Training Schools, Mississippi, S.B. 2366
Tags: Mississippi | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Improves monitoring of conditions at training schools and requires individualized care for youth with serious emotional disorders.
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Mississippi Engages in Widespread Reforms of Juvenile Justice System, Mississippi, Juvenile Justice Reform Act, S.B. 2894
Tags: Mississippi | General System Reform | Legislation
Creates a broad range of improvements in the system including improved institutional conditions, improved treatment of status offenders, and support for community-based alternatives.