Youth Court 
 

       Mississippi Youth Courts are problem solving, or intervention, courts.  Judge Dickinson believes the futures of our children and families are critically important, and that we must work diligently to insert as much Love, Grace, Mercy, Hope, and Forgiveness into their lives.
        For juvenile offenders, he believes it is important to be tough, but fair, with a strong focus on rehabilitation.  At the same time, he understands that Youth Courts have a responsibility to protect the public from those juveniles who refuse to take the steps necessary to rehabilitate and who are on a path to becoming career offenders.

                             Focus
 

          For the past eight years as Harrison County’s Youth Court Judge, Judge Dickinson has focused on improving the lives of children and families by implementing best-practice standards and evidence-based programs. 

            Under the child welfare umbrella, he has focused on:

• Reducing child abuse and neglect while keeping families together, when safe to do so.

• Increasing high quality family time for children in custody.

• Supporting foster families and Strengthening foster care.

• Expanding the services and resources for parents in Harrison County’s Family Intervention Court, and for pregnant mothers-to-be struggling with substance use disorder and mental health challenges.

• Decreasing the wait time for children to be assessed for and connected with needed services.

• Making the Harrison County Youth Court more child-friendly by reducing the trauma children experience when testifying in court.

• Collaborating with CASA of South Mississippi and Texas Christian University to bring Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.​

 

            Under the juvenile justice umbrella, Judge Dickinson has focused on:

• Partnering with community organizations to bring in many instructional and mentoring programs, ministries, life skills training, and motivational speakers to Harrison County.

• Decreasing the wait time for children to be assessed for and connected with needed services.

• Expanding services and resources for juveniles in Juvenile Intervention Court, struggling with Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health issues.

• Making the Harrison County Youth Court more child-friendly by reducing the trauma children experience when testifying in court.