Mission Statement
The Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center mission is to create and maintain a safe, secure, stable, and mind-changing environment for each child in our care.
The function of the Detention facility is to provide temporary care for youth requiring secure custody pending court study and disposition, or pending transfer to another jurisdiction or agency. Detained youth are ones whose offenses are so serious that release would endanger public safety or the welfare of the child.
Operational Goals
- To provide a safe & secure environment for juveniles admitted.
- To reduce further delinquency in the general public.
The Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center is a multi-purpose facility designed to provide a safe and secure short-term care and custody for juveniles who cannot be placed in a less restrictive setting and who have violated the law, violated court orders and stipulations of probation, and/or who are waiting court-ordered placement.
The Detention Facility, which has a bed capacity of 84, house residents between 12-17 years of age. The eighty-four beds, 52,058 square feet Juvenile Detention facility, consist of several components: Detention, Administration, Intake, Central Control, and four living areas (Walter Payton Unit, Ossie Davis Unit, Harriet Tubman Unit & John F. Kennedy Unit) which includes twenty-two expansion units, recreation area, kitchen, Jackson Public School, contact visitation area, as well as Hinds County Youth Court. The Center is designed to house short-term sentencing for both male and female juveniles that have been accused of a misdemeanor or felony crime and status offenders awaiting a hearing, placement to another youth facility, or other prescribed recommendation of the Youth Court Judge. The facility provides for the basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing, and medical care; prevents the abridgment of juveniles legal rights during detainment at the facility; provides for physical, emotional, and religious (optional) growth, and educational and social needs of the juveniles during detainment; and houses juveniles in a safe and humane environment, maintaining the level of security necessary to prevent escape and assure that juveniles live free from fear or assault or intimidation by staff or other juveniles.
Intercom communications is located within each resident's room and is linked from housing unit to the Central Control board. The surveillance system located in the Center's Central Control Room, is capable of viewing up 70+ cameras throughout the Center, including the Court Room and Administration area.
Visitation Hours
Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Saturday 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Sunday 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Resident Phone Call Hours
Walter Payton Unit
Monday & Wednesday 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Harriet Tubman Unit
Tuesday & Thursday 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
John F. Kennedy
Monday & Wednesday 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Ossie Davis Unit
Tuesday & Thursday 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Behavior Program
Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center encourage positive behavior within our facility through a Behavior Management Points System. This mechanism provides rewards and extended privileges to residents who accumulate a sufficient amount of points.
By using the Behavior Management concept our residents are able to connect their behaviors with both positive and negative consequences. The outcome of using this concept has increased staff interaction with residents and decreased inappropriate behaviors resulting in room confinement. The residents learn the connection between their behavior and the consequences, and can better deal with their inner struggles. All residents receive points after the successful completion of the New Admit Orientation class.
Donations
The Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center is in the business of caring for children; therefore, oftentimes we are in need of such items as those that would improve a young person's sense of self and/or provide them with items that would help them to grow as individuals and members of our community. Due to budget constraints, we depend upon the kind hearts and thoughts of others through their donations.
Donated items can range from arts and craft supplies, books, sports and entertainment items, educational products. Basically, any donation that may help educate, inspire, and improve a juvenile's life is welcome.
For questions about the above opportunities, please contact the facility's Recreation Department at 601.985.3014.
Medical & Mental Health
Henley-Young has fully functional medical and mental health programs. The medical staff includes; two registered nurses, 1 LPN, a nurse practitioner, and a mental health specialist. The medical staff provide residents with any prescribed medication, and manage minor injuries and complaints.
Residents are allowed to utilize the lock box sick call system. The sick calls allow residents to inform the medical staff of any issue that they may be having. Residents are to place the sick calls in the appropriate locked boxes, therefore, providing the residents with medical confidentiality.
Mental Health
It is the goal of Henley Young to ensure that the mental health needs of all HYJJC residents are met. Upon admission, each resident will be required to take a mental health assessment.
All residents of Henley Young will have the opportunity to request mental health and facility case management services daily.
The mental health department consists of 2 qualified mental health professionals, and 3 case managers. The facility also utilize outside mental health organizations, such as, Hinds Behavioral Health Services.
Facility Case managers will follow the resident throughout their stay at Henley Young. The case managers provide individualized and measurably effective supervision and services directed towards resident's identified needs, monitor activities, behaviors, incidents, and grievances to provide for the resident's general welfare, safety and well-being. The case managers serve as the designated advocate for the residents of HYJJC.
Jackson Public School
Henley Young Juvenile Justice Center has an onsite full time school program. Daily school activities are sponsored by the Jackson Public School District. Educational services are provided in accordance with Jackson Public School District's policy and procedures.
The facility provides each resident with guaranteed rights to educational services. All resident are required to attend school daily Monday through Friday. Residents have access to educational programs leading to a successful return to his/her home school.
Training
The facility is staffed with on-site trainers. The Training Coordinator, is responsible for satisfying the training needs of the Detention Staff mandated by State and Federal Law. The Training Division consists of the Training Coordinator, a CPI Crisis Prevention Institute certified trainer and the Mental Health Department.
All new hires receive one (1) week of New Employee Orientation and three (3) weeks of On-the-Job Training. Our goal is to provide quality training through a standardized training curriculum. The forty (40) hour course is designed to assist our detention officers to cope with the unique problems of working with delinquent juveniles. Detention Officers are required to attend and complete the Basic Juvenile Detention Officer Course to receive their certification from the Board on Jail Officer Standards & Training through the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
All Detention Officers are required to receive forty (40) hours of training per year to maintain their certification.
Volunteers
The programming options at Henley Juvenile Justice Center involve many aspects of the lives of our children. We strive to show them, through our outside group activities and volunteer programs, the wide range of experiences that may brighten and encourage them to try new things and make new attempts at changing their lives for the better. Therefore, we are always looking for new faces to influence and promote exciting new views and opportunities for the youth housed at Henley-Young.
For questions about the above opportunities, please contact the facility Recreation Department at abaldwin@co.hinds.ms.us.
If you are interested in volunteering at our Facility, please complete the Volunteer Application and submit it, in person, to the Facility Recreation staff.
Grievance Process
All residents admitted to Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center is provided an internal grievance mechanism for complaints arising from institutional matters. Grievance forms are offered to any resident who wishes to have one. The forms are submitted by the resident in a locked kite box. Within 24 hours, the Grievance Officer removes the resident's grievance forms from the locked KITE Box. Within 24 hours of receiving the grievance, the grievance officer investigate the grievance.
If the resident is not satisfied with the resolution/disposition, he/she has the right to appeal the decision to the Operations Manager. The Operations Manager will meet with the resident within 48 hours of receiving the resident's request for an appeal and attempt to resolve the matter at that time. The appealed decision of the Operations Manager is final.
Special Programs
Garden Project
The 25 ft. X 25 ft. layout and design of the garden was according to the plant's size and sun requirements. During this project, the residents learn about the space requirements for planting. The size of the garden will produce food such as squash, corn, cucumbers, red berries, etc. The residents are able to harvest from the garden to see how a little garden could be so productive. Residents and staff constantly maintains the garden throughout the season.
Benefits of Gardening for Adolescents
- Responsibility - from caring for plants
- Self-confidence - from achieving their goals and enjoying the food they have grown
- Research proves planting seeds and plants can be therapeutic.
- Being outside is a break from the structured routine
- The cost and savings of producing their own food is experienced, especially during the harvest.
- Cooperation - including shared play activity and teamwork