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| Consent decree would ban isolation, private jails for youths |
| By clarionledger.com/ - Jerry Mitchell |
| Published: 02/28/2012 |
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Mississippi juveniles no longer will be housed in a private prison or held in solitary confinement, according to a lawsuit's proposed settlement. "This represents a sea change in the way the Mississippi Department of Corrections will treat children in its custody," Sheila Bedi, deputy legal director for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said in a statement. "As a result of this litigation, Mississippi's children will no longer languish in an abusive, privately operated prison that profits each time a young man is tried as an adult and ends up behind bars." Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps confirmed Monday there is a proposed consent decree with the SPLC and the American Civil Liberties Union to resolve a lawsuit they filed in 2010 challenging conditions for juveniles at Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility as unconstitutional. Epps would not comment further. The facility, run by The GEO Group, has been housing juveniles convicted as adults. As of last week, there were 958 inmates up to age 22 at the facility. Eighteen of the inmates were 18 or younger. Read More. |
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