State Of Mississippi Agreement With DOJ Regarding Juvenile Justice Reform

On June 19, 2015, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it had reached settlement agreements to address unconstitutional youth arrest and probation practices in Meridian, Mississippi. The DOJ settlement agreements with the State of Mississippi and the City of Meridian, Mississippi resolve the DOJ’s claims that the state and the city systematically violated youth’s due process rights. The agreements prohibit state probation officers from recommending incarceration for youth with technical probation violations that would not otherwise be detainable offenses. The agreements prohibit the city policy department from arresting youth for behavior that is appropriately addressed as . . .