Feds: Mississippi county runs 'school-to-prison pipeline'
updated 5:08 PM EDT, Fri August 10, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- U.S. Justice Department accuses Lauderdale County of violating constitutional rights of pupils
- Juveniles accused of school offenses are jailed and not given due process, feds say
- African-Americans and children with disabilities are most affected
- In 2010, the county settled a separate class-action suit and pledged juvenile justice reforms
(CNN) -- Officials in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, have operated "a school-to-prison pipeline" that violates the constitutional rights of juveniles by incarcerating them for alleged school disciplinary infractions, some as minor as defiance, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.
"Students most affected by this system are African-American children and children with disabilities," the Justice Department said.
The federal agency's civil rights division seeks "meaningful negotiations" in 60 days to end the constitutional violations or else a federal lawsuit would be filed against state, county and local officials in Meridian, according to a Justice Department letter dated Friday to those officials.
The letter also names two Lauderdale County Youth Court judges,