Mississippi: An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings (2007)

The Mississippi assessment of access to counsel and quality of representation in youth court proceedings is part of a national effort to address deficiencies and highlight strengths in juvenile indigent defense practices. Forty years after the United States Supreme Court ruled in In re Gault that children in the delinquency system have a right to counsel, the promise of this decision remains largely unfulfilled. The goal of this assessment is to evaluate juvenile defense practices in Mississippi, reveal systemic obstacles that impede just and balanced outcomes for children in Mississippi’s youth court system, and offer recommendations for change