JACKSON - House Juvenile Justice Committee Chairman George Flaggs says Mississippi should follow Missouri's example in handling youth offenders.
Flaggs said the Missouri system relies on community-based services and has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the nation. Only 8 percent of the youth who leave the system return, said Mark Steward, director of Missouri Youth Services.
Steward and Missouri Supreme Court Justice Stephen N. Limbaugh, who is on Steward's advisory panel, spoke to youth advocates Thursday at a House committee hearing in Jackson.
Steward said his system has a $60 million budget with 20 percent to 40 percent of the funds come from the federal government. The system has facilities across the state that house fewer than 35 students, who attend therapy sessions.
Most of the offenders are placed in regional facilities within 50 miles of their home. They also have day treatment programs, which allows some youth to come and go each day. The system also has an accredited education program, he said.
"It's a lot of hard work. It takes money, but it sure is worth it because when these kids get out they have a chance of making it," Steward said.
Mississippi has two facilities for juvenile offenders - Oakley Training School in Raymond and Columbia Training School in Columbia.
The Department of Human Services oversees the training schools. A Justice Department lawsuit is pending against the state, alleging mistreatment at the schools.
A yearlong investigation revealed civil rights violations including unreasonable use of isolation and restraints and inadequate medical, mental health and educational services.
Juveniles were "hogtied" with hands and feet bound behind their backs and "pole-shackled" with hands tied behind a pole and left on public display for hours, the Justice Department said.
Don Taylor, DHS executive director, commended the Missouri system, saying "kids ought to be in the least restrictive environment."
Flaggs, D-Vicksburg, said he'll introduce a bill in the 2005 Legislature to restructure the state's juvenile justice system. "I've patterned Missouri's model for Mississippi's budget," he said.
Flaggs said Mississippi's youth services budget is $25 million, with $13 million to $15 million going to the training schools. The schools don't have an accredited program, and "the system is too fragmented," he said.
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