Allegations of Horrific Abuse at Harrison County Juvenile Detention Center

A federal law suit has been filed against Harrison County after multiple allegations of abuse at that county’s juvenile detention center. MPB’s Phoebe Judge reports.

The lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Mississippi Youth Justice Project comes after a number of allegations of abuse and unsanitary conditions at the 48-bed Harrison County Juvenile Detention Center. The suit was filed on behalf of a 17 year old, listed as D.W, who claims he received no mental health treatment after attempting suicide at the center, and has been subjected to abusive conditions.

“He shouldn’t be treated this way, no kid should be treated this way.”

Devonsha Fairley is D.W.’s mother,

“And it’s about time, someone listened, because people think we don’t have a voice, because we are poor and no one wants to listen. And I’m glad that someone is finally listening.”

The Harrison County Juvenile Detention Center has been operated by the Pascagoula Based Mississippi Security Police for the past nine years, at an annual cost of 1.6 million dollars, and is one of only two detention centers in the state run by a private company. Tim Holleman, attorney for the Mississippi Security Police says the lawsuit comes as a complete shock,

“No one has ever made those types of abuse claims, nobody’s made any consistent allegations of abuse or unsanitary conditions.”

But Vanessa Carroll, attorney with the Mississippi Youth Justice Project says over 30 children interviewed from the detention center have uniformly reported the deplorable conditions. One of those youths, seventeen year old Marlon, spent a year imprisoned at the detention center,

“I mean, I seen it all, seen kids get beat on, slammed, locked in their cell, couldn’t come out for rec, couldn’t take showers, get beat up, get their food took. A lot of stuff.”

Harrison County officials could not be reached for comment.