Late June saw Hinds County officials and Henley Young Juvenile Justice Center attorneys agree to 17 provisions in a memorandum. This was to ease tensions surrounding a federal settlement. After Disability Rights Mississippi and Mississippi Southern Poverty Law Center had sued Hinds County, the agreement was reached in March 2012. U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan issued an order to Hinds County to address 70 “areas deficiency” in the building. However, Youth Court Judge William “Bill” Skinner, II, who is responsible for the youth court portion of the detention center, was not part of the consent decree. Skinner and the other parties have sometimes been at odds. Skinner requested to intervene in April. He wrote a motion stating that there was a conflict between the Henley-Young Juds Justice Center and the Hinds County Youth Court. The Memorandum of Understanding was filed June 26, after many days of negotiations. Skinner and plaintiffs’ attorneys agreed to dismiss several of the pending motions. Skinner also agreed to follow a 21-day limit on children being held at the youth jail. However, he has final say over when the children are released. A monitor outside of Henley-Young must first mediate disputes. Henley-Young is regularly inspected and reviewed by the monitor. The monitor Leonard B. Dixon cannot resolve the dispute and the parties may take the matter to Judge Jordan. Monday evening was the last day for messages to Judge Skinner and his court administrator. SPLC attorney Will Bardwell said that the agreement appears to be working. “So far, everyone’s on the exact same page. Bardwell stated that this is true for Judge Skinner and the county. “That’s what we always hoped to achieve,” he said. “If that’s possible, we can make real progress.” Make a regular donation to support this work today as we celebrate our Spring Member Drive. This will allow us to continue important work such as this one. Our reporters give a human face to policy’s impact on everyday Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of all Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think.