Juvenile Detention in Mississippi: 20100114_splc_sls_042

A boy is pictured in his cell at the Harrison County Juvenile Detention facility in Biloxi, Mississippi.

In Mississippi, over 70% of the youth behind bars are accused of non-violent offenses like shoplifting, disorderly conduct or school-related disciplinary problems. Children as young as ten years old have been locked up for a school-yard fight or for misbehaving at home.