Mississippi Department of Human Services
Encyclopedia
The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) is a state agency of Mississippi
, headquartered in Jackson
. The department operates the state's family services.
, is open, while Columbia Training School has been closed. The two training schools are 125 miles (201.2 km) apart from one another.
As of 2003 the majority of children committed to the training schools were non-violent offenders. Originally a judge could order child to attend a training school for minor offenses up to and including felony charges. On July 1, 2010, new legislation states that only a child who commits a felony or a child who commits three or more misdemeanors could be sentenced to go to a training school. Male juveniles who engage in serious or repeat behaviors and are certified as adults may be asked to go to the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, a privately-operated facility of the Mississippi Department of Corrections in Walnut Grove, Mississippi
. David M. Halfbinger of The New York Times
said in 2003 that the MDHS juvenile correctional facilities "look more like rural community colleges -- low-slung, cinder-block buildings scattered across sun-baked meadows, ringed by chain-link fencing -- than the prisons they effectively are."
Hinds County
. Oakley has a capacity of 150 students. Oakley Training School, also known as the Mississippi Youth Correctional Complex (MYCC), is located on a 1068 acres (432.2 ha) plot of land surrounded by agricultural fields; the State of Mississippi states that the complex is about a 30 minute commute from Jackson
.
, near Columbia
, in southern Mississippi. The state estimates that Columbia is a two and one half hour commute from the school to Gulfport
. Columbia is located between Hattiesburg
and McComb
. The Columbia Training School is located on over 1000 acres (404.7 ha) of land. The unfenced complex is surrounded by farmland. Grantier Architecture designed a 10000 square foot addition and renovation of the school.
On Wednesday June 11, 2008, the final 11 girls at the facility were transferred to Oakley. The state had paroled the other 26 remaining girls into community-based programs. On June 30, 2008 the Columbia campus was closed. The state closed Columbia because of a desire to save money and concerns about the operation of the facility. When Columbia was open, Oakley took boys ages 15–18, while Columbia took boys 10-14 and girls 10-18. Before desegregation, Columbia housed White children of both sexes; the desegregation plan around the 1970s required Columbia to house girls of all races and boys under 15 years of age of all races. Officials stated that they would like for Columbia to be transformed into a drug treatment center.
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, headquartered in Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. The department operates the state's family services.
Division of Youth Services
The Division of Youth Services (DYS) operates juvenile correctional facilities. One, Oakley Training SchoolOakley Training School
The Oakley Training School is a juvenile correctional facility of the Mississippi Department of Human Services located in unincorporated Hinds County, Mississippi, near Raymond. It is Mississippi's sole juvenile correctional facility for children adjudicated into the juvenile correctional...
, is open, while Columbia Training School has been closed. The two training schools are 125 miles (201.2 km) apart from one another.
As of 2003 the majority of children committed to the training schools were non-violent offenders. Originally a judge could order child to attend a training school for minor offenses up to and including felony charges. On July 1, 2010, new legislation states that only a child who commits a felony or a child who commits three or more misdemeanors could be sentenced to go to a training school. Male juveniles who engage in serious or repeat behaviors and are certified as adults may be asked to go to the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, a privately-operated facility of the Mississippi Department of Corrections in Walnut Grove, Mississippi
Walnut Grove, Mississippi
Walnut Grove is a town in Leake County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 488 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Walnut Grove is located at ....
. David M. Halfbinger of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said in 2003 that the MDHS juvenile correctional facilities "look more like rural community colleges -- low-slung, cinder-block buildings scattered across sun-baked meadows, ringed by chain-link fencing -- than the prisons they effectively are."
Oakley Training School
The Oakley Training School (OTS) is located in Oakley in unincorporatedUnincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Hinds County
Hinds County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 250,800 people, 91,030 households, and 62,355 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile . There were 100,287 housing units at an average density of 115 per square mile...
. Oakley has a capacity of 150 students. Oakley Training School, also known as the Mississippi Youth Correctional Complex (MYCC), is located on a 1068 acres (432.2 ha) plot of land surrounded by agricultural fields; the State of Mississippi states that the complex is about a 30 minute commute from Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
.
Columbia Training School
MDHS owns the Columbia Training School, located in unincorporated Marion CountyMarion County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 25,595 people, 9,336 households, and 6,880 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile . There were 10,395 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
, near Columbia
Columbia, Mississippi
Columbia is a city in Marion County, Mississippi, United States, which was formed six years before Mississippi was admitted to statehood. Columbia was named for Columbia, South Carolina, from which many of the early settlers had migrated. The population was 6,603 as of the 2000 census. It is the...
, in southern Mississippi. The state estimates that Columbia is a two and one half hour commute from the school to Gulfport
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
. Columbia is located between Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census . It is the county seat of Forrest County...
and McComb
McComb, Mississippi
McComb is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States, about south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 13,644. It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi, Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. The Columbia Training School is located on over 1000 acres (404.7 ha) of land. The unfenced complex is surrounded by farmland. Grantier Architecture designed a 10000 square foot addition and renovation of the school.
On Wednesday June 11, 2008, the final 11 girls at the facility were transferred to Oakley. The state had paroled the other 26 remaining girls into community-based programs. On June 30, 2008 the Columbia campus was closed. The state closed Columbia because of a desire to save money and concerns about the operation of the facility. When Columbia was open, Oakley took boys ages 15–18, while Columbia took boys 10-14 and girls 10-18. Before desegregation, Columbia housed White children of both sexes; the desegregation plan around the 1970s required Columbia to house girls of all races and boys under 15 years of age of all races. Officials stated that they would like for Columbia to be transformed into a drug treatment center.
External links
- Mississippi Department of Human Services
- SPLC Works to Improve Mississippi Juvenile Justice - Southern Poverty Law CenterSouthern Poverty Law CenterThe Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
- "CRIPA Investigation of Oakley and Columbia Training Schools in Raymond and Columbia, Mississippi." - United States Department of JusticeUnited States Department of JusticeThe United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...