A peek inside Madison County Youth Court

• Magnolia Tribune recently took the opportunity to sit in on a morning of hearings in Madison County Youth Court. Here is a look into some of the cases Mississippi’s Youth Court judges are being asked to preside over.

Several changes are occurring within Mississippi’s youth court system, with one of those being the shift to presumptively open court rooms, meaning the public can attend hearings and gain insight into the proceedings.

Legislation passed during the recent special session set an open court standard but the judge retained the power to close court proceedings when necessary.

READ MORE: Youth court reform bill passes Mississippi Senate, House

Magnolia Tribune recently took the opportunity to sit in on a morning of hearings in Madison County Youth Court where Judge Staci O’Neal presides.

Judge O’Neal was sworn in as the Madison County Court Judge (Position 1) in January 2017.  As part of her County Court duties, she is also one of two Youth Court Judges in Madison County as well as the Juvenile Drug Court Judge.

In Mississippi, youth courts have jurisdiction when a child commits a delinquent act, when a child has been abused or neglected, when a child is unruly or in need of supervision, and when there is a need for involuntary committals of children in need of special care or mental treatment. Youth courts may also hear cases to terminate parental rights and consider where child support claims and issues of paternity are presented.

From the start of proceedings until the lunch break, Madison County Court and Youth Court Judge Staci O’Neal heard more than half a dozen cases. To provide a look into the matters heard in Mississippi youth courts, descriptions of select cases covered that day are reported here, minus the identifiers of the juveniles involved. Photography, video and other recording equipment are not allowed in the court room. 

Judge O’Neal’s docket ranged from what the state will do with children currently under state custody or foster care to what steps a mother needs to take to permanently regain custody to school delinquency. Only the delinquency cases, which were taken up at the same time, were closed to the public after the request was submitted by legal counsel and approved by Judge O’Neal.

Those taking the stand as witnesses in youth court are mostly comprised of employees of the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services (CPS). 

One of the first cases heard on the day Magnolia Tribune attended the proceedings in Madison involved four children of various ages who were currently under their grandmother’s care. Judge O’Neal took time to ask each child individually how they felt, if they were excited to go back to school, and if they liked their therapy sessions, just as she did in the other cases heard that day.

In this case, each child took turns speaking to the judge, saying they were excited to be going back to school and that their therapy sessions were going well. It was made clear that the court and CPS are working to allow the grandmother to become the adoptive parent for the children.  

Later that morning, the court took up a case involving three siblings currently in foster care. When the state became involved, the mother was homeless and in need of treatment for substance abuse. Present in the courtroom that day, the mother reported to the court she now has a job that pays enough to keep a home. She said she is willing and able to regain custody of her children.

Judge O’Neal said she is proud of that mother’s efforts. As part of her path to regain custody, the mother undergoes regular drug screenings, attends therapy sessions, and is receiving money management skills training. Based on those efforts, the mother will soon be granted a 90-day trial home placement as part of the path for permanent reunification.  

However, not all cases heard by Judge O’Neal included a loving parent or grandparent making an appearance at the day’s hearings.

One case involved court staff and CPS employees working to determine the status of a younger teen. Alone in the courtroom, testimony showed the teen to be on the autism spectrum as well as having been diagnosed with ADHD. The adolescent, who is in state custody and living in a group home, was reportedly doing well in school.  

“I’m very proud you skipped the 7th grade and got to go to the 8th grade,” O’Neal told the teen after hearing testimony.

The young person will most likely be in state custody until the age of 21, unless a sibling chooses to step up to care for the child or an adoptive family willing to take the teenager in can be found. 

Another case also involved a teenager without family representation. The teen was apparently abandoned by both parents and has been in state custody since 2024. The mother fails to show up for court dates regularly despite attempts by CPS personnel to make contact with both parents. 

During the teen’s time with the state, law enforcement has had to be involved. The adolescent has been diagnosed with ADHD, a mood disorder, nicotine disorder, and other issues. Currently, the teen calls a hotel room home, overseen by a “babysitter.”

To move the teenager toward independence, state personnel from various agencies are working to get the young person on a path towards a GED, since the most recent school performance has resulted in grade retention.

A former CPS case worker provided most of the testimony on the teen’s background, since their current case worker was assigned the case just two weeks prior. When called to the stand for additional information, the current case worker could not answer most of the court’s questions, stating she had not had time to review the teen’s case files before the day’s court appearance. CPS requested court permission during the hearing to end all attempts to try to contact that teen’s birth parents, but Judge O’Neal denied that motion, instructing CPS to continue those efforts.

In all of the cases where the young people were in state custody, CPS personnel were providing the juveniles assistance with food, clothing and school supplies. Other assistance provided, when applicable, included Social Security payments.