Mississippi Youth Justice Project 753 North Congress St. PO Box 9283 Jackson, MS 39286 601-948-8882 Recent Legal Action Columbia Training School

The Mississippi Youth Justice Project is working to break the cycle of juvenile incarceration by making juvenile justice and education systems more responsive to the needs of children, families and the communities in which they live. We seek reform through public education, community organizing, litigation, legislative advocacy, training and technical assistance.

The struggle for juvenile justice and education reform is one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our time. In Mississippi:

• the incarceration rate for African-American children is double the rate for white children;


• the overwhelming majority of incarcerated juveniles are low-level, non-violent offenders; and,


• almost 40 percent of public school children drop out — frequently because of ineffective discipline practices, the lack of appropriate special-education services and alternative education programs that do little more than warehouse children.

Once children enter the justice system, they are forced to navigate a complex legal process with only the assistance of grossly under-funded defense attorneys.

They frequently find themselves caught up in the justice system because of failing schools and the lack of community-based resources such as mentoring/tutoring programs and mental health services.

Unfortunately, Mississippi's public school system funnels many students directly into the juvenile justice system. The state's schools frequently employ disparate discipline practices and fail to provide appropriate services to disabled students.

When children leave juvenile justice facilities, they often return to failing schools and under-served communities. Too often, these children then cycle back into the juvenile detention facilities — or worse, they graduate to adult prisons. The adult criminal justice system was never designed to meet the needs of children — and often fails to protect them from horrific abuses.

Our work includes:

Juvenile Defender Training and Resource Initiative
We convene national experts in juvenile justice and conduct training seminars for defense counsel; provide assistance to defense counsel in the form of research, motions banks and litigation assistance; and, in some cases, represent individual children in court.

Empowering youth, families and communities
We support families of incarcerated children and families through individual advocacy, know-your-rights training, support groups and direct actions.

Monitoring juvenile facility conditions
Children retain important rights when confined to juvenile and adult facilities — such as the right to an education and adequate medical and mental health care, and the right to be free from harm. Through advocacy and legal representation, we help protect the rights of incarcerated children and ensure they receive the services to which they are entitled.

Juvenile justice-related legislative advocacy and public education
We are a voice for Mississippi's youth in the halls of the state Capitol. We produce briefing books and educational materials on topics related to Mississippi's juvenile justice and education systems. We also convene groups of juvenile/criminal justice and education stakeholders to study local systems, identify deficiencies and formulate reform plans.

Children tried as adults
Children are never adults — even if criminal laws say otherwise. We work to ensure that children convicted as adults are protected from the abuses they so frequently experience. Our goal is to afford all children caught up in the system a chance at rehabilitation — a chance at a future.

Quality education for at-risk youth
We have launched initiatives aimed at helping the children who are most likely to end up in the juvenile justice system: children with special needs and children placed in alternative education. Ensuring appropriate education services for all children is the most effective crime-fighting strategy available to communities.