The Oakley campus is administered by the Department of Youth Services as a juvenile correctional facility for older, more sophisticated delinquents. As a result of complaints by legislators about possible abuse of youths at Oakley, PEER conducted an extensive investigation. While Oakley has improved its physical facilities, programs, and staffing in response to the 1977 Morgan vs. Sproat court decision, several problems still exist which contribute to abuse, including inadequate staff training; lack of effective supervision of direct care staff; inadequate documentation of operating procedures; lack of individual counseling plans for each student; inappropriate mixture of repeating with first-time residents during orientation; excessive idle-time cottage confinement of students; lax facility and ground maintenance; fire safety problems; access to physical hazards potentially harmful to students including inhalants; and poor security of student personal property. PEER made recommendations for correcting these problems within the department’s existing budget.
For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.