(1 p.m.) Lawsuit filed over juvenile center

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October 19, 2009

Anonymous The Meridian Star Mon Oct 19, 2009, 01:59 PM CDT

Lawsuit filed over juvenile center in Meridian

Disability Rights Mississippi is suing Lauderdale County over conditions in the county’s 30-bed juvenile detention center.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court. It claims young people with mental illnesses were locked in crowded, unsanitary cells for 23 hours a day and that staff members have used pepper spray on children’s faces.

The lawsuit represents only one side of a legal argument. It also claims juveniles were denied care for mental health and medical issues.

County administrator Mike Sumrall said Monday that ‘‘substantial improvements’’ have been made at the center the past two years. He said Lauderdale spends more on its juvenile center than some counties with similar populations.

Officials with the Southern Poverty Law Center were in Meridian's Highland Park today to discuss the lawsuit. The lawsuit seeks to force the county to comply with federal law and open the detention center to inspection following reports of inhumane and unconstitutional conditions – including children being locked down in unsanitary, overcrowded jail cells, subjected to physical abuse and denied access to medical, mental health and educational services.

More details in tomorrow's edition of The Meridian Star.

— Associated Press and staff

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