The Department of Youth Services (DYS) was created to prevent and correct juvenile delinquency through a statewide comprehensive youth services program. PEER auditors found the two planning documents to implement this program inadequate. In-house evaluation was inadequate also, one reason being that no DYS staff member was trained in the techniques of planning and evaluation. The PEER Committee recommended that DYS request the Classification Commission to modify job descriptions of certain personnel to include formal training or experience in program planning and evaluation. DYS should formulate a comprehensive state plan for youth services and facilities’ development.
DYS should identify operational objectives for program activities and collect data for each objective. Since coordination between institutional and community programs was weak, guidelines should be established for interaction between the Division of Juvenile Correction Institutions and the Division of Community Services. In the area of personnel management, DYS should institute policies which provide more incentive for academic advancement and which are competitive with similar positions in other agencies. Also, a systematic staff training program should be instituted. Reliable statistical data should be assimilated to evaluate staff performance.
Serious problems existed in the state’s two training schools, Oakley and Columbia. Both schools relied heavily on nonprofessional members of the staff, some juveniles had not been placed properly in the institutional environment, and services offered in the institution frequently were not continued by the community once a student was released. These problems and suggestive corrective measures were detailed in the report.
For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.