Feds Release Mississippi From Federal Lawsuit In 2003 Civil Rights Case Related To Youth Training Schools

On September 11, 2014, a federal judge released the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) from a 2003 civil rights lawsuit over conditions at the Oakley Youth Development Center and Columbia Training School. In 2005, the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) and MDHS entered into a settlement agreement in which the state agreed to implement reforms to ensure that youth at the two facilities were safe and that they received legally required services. The state closed Columbia in 2008, leaving Oakley as the only facility in the case.

The reforms, implemented under a consent decree, resulted in increased protections to . . .