(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section or in Section 43-21-262, records involving children shall not be disclosed, other than to the following persons:(a) The judge of another youth court or member of another youth court staff;(b) Parties and their attorneys;(c) Necessary staff or officials of the youth court;(d) A guardian ad litem appointed to a child by the court;(e) A Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer who may be assigned in a dependency, abuse or neglect case;(f) The court of the parties in a child custody or adoption cause in another court;(g) A judge of any other court or members of another court staff, including the chancery court that ordered a forensic interview;(h) Representatives of a public or private agency providing supervision or having custody of the child under order of the youth court;(i) Any person engaged in a bona fide research purpose, provided that no information identifying the subject of the records shall be made available to the researcher unless it is absolutely essential to the research purpose and the judge gives prior written approval, and the child, through his or her representative, gives permission to release the information;(j) The Mississippi Department of Employment Security, or its duly authorized representatives, for the purpose of a child’s enrollment into the Job Corps Training Program as authorized by Title IV of the Comprehensive Employment Training Act of 1973 (29 USCS Section 923 et seq.). However, no records, reports, investigations or information derived therefrom pertaining to child abuse or neglect shall be disclosed;(k) Any person pursuant to a finding by a judge of the youth court of compelling circumstances affecting the health, safety or well-being of a child and that such disclosure is in the best interests of the child or an adult who was formerly the subject of a youth court delinquency proceeding;(l) A person who was the subject of a knowingly made false allegation of child abuse or neglect which has resulted in a conviction of a perpetrator in accordance with Section 97-35-47 or which allegation was referred by the Department of Child Protection Services to a prosecutor or law enforcement official in accordance with the provisions of Section 43-21-353(4);(m) The Office of Community Services within the Department of Human Services for the purposes described in Section 43-27-20(e); or(n) A district attorney.For each party and his or her attorney, disclosure under this section shall include access to the uniform youth court data management system, hard copy files and all related legal papers other than forensic interview and related records under Section 43-21-262.Law enforcement agencies may disclose information to the public concerning the taking of a child into custody for the commission of a delinquent act without the necessity of an order from the youth court. The information released shall not identify the child or his address unless the information involves a child convicted as an adult.
(a) The judge of another youth court or member of another youth court staff;
(b) Parties and their attorneys;
(c) Necessary staff or officials of the youth court;
(d) A guardian ad litem appointed to a child by the court;
(e) A Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer who may be assigned in a dependency, abuse or neglect case;
(f) The court of the parties in a child custody or adoption cause in another court;
(g) A judge of any other court or members of another court staff, including the chancery court that ordered a forensic interview;
(h) Representatives of a public or private agency providing supervision or having custody of the child under order of the youth court;
(i) Any person engaged in a bona fide research purpose, provided that no information identifying the subject of the records shall be made available to the researcher unless it is absolutely essential to the research purpose and the judge gives prior written approval, and the child, through his or her representative, gives permission to release the information;
(j) The Mississippi Department of Employment Security, or its duly authorized representatives, for the purpose of a child’s enrollment into the Job Corps Training Program as authorized by Title IV of the Comprehensive Employment Training Act of 1973 (29 USCS Section 923 et seq.). However, no records, reports, investigations or information derived therefrom pertaining to child abuse or neglect shall be disclosed;
(k) Any person pursuant to a finding by a judge of the youth court of compelling circumstances affecting the health, safety or well-being of a child and that such disclosure is in the best interests of the child or an adult who was formerly the subject of a youth court delinquency proceeding;
(l) A person who was the subject of a knowingly made false allegation of child abuse or neglect which has resulted in a conviction of a perpetrator in accordance with Section 97-35-47 or which allegation was referred by the Department of Child Protection Services to a prosecutor or law enforcement official in accordance with the provisions of Section 43-21-353(4);
(m) The Office of Community Services within the Department of Human Services for the purposes described in Section 43-27-20(e); or
(n) A district attorney.
For each party and his or her attorney, disclosure under this section shall include access to the uniform youth court data management system, hard copy files and all related legal papers other than forensic interview and related records under Section 43-21-262.
Law enforcement agencies may disclose information to the public concerning the taking of a child into custody for the commission of a delinquent act without the necessity of an order from the youth court. The information released shall not identify the child or his address unless the information involves a child convicted as an adult.
(2) Any records involving children which are disclosed pursuant to the terms of this section and the contents thereof shall be kept confidential by the person or agency to whom the record is disclosed unless otherwise provided in an order of a court of competent jurisdiction. Any further disclosure of any records involving children shall be made only under an order of a court of competent jurisdiction as provided in this section.
The Department of Child Protection Services shall disclose to a county prosecuting attorney or district attorney any and all records resulting from an investigation into suspected child abuse or neglect when the case has been referred by the Department of Child Protection Services to the county prosecuting attorney or district attorney for criminal prosecution.Agency records made confidential under the provisions of this section may be disclosed to a court of competent jurisdiction.Records involving children shall be disclosed to the Division of Victim Compensation of the Office of the Attorney General upon the division’s request for purposes of determination of eligibility for victim compensation benefits.
The Department of Child Protection Services shall disclose to a county prosecuting attorney or district attorney any and all records resulting from an investigation into suspected child abuse or neglect when the case has been referred by the Department of Child Protection Services to the county prosecuting attorney or district attorney for criminal prosecution.
Agency records made confidential under the provisions of this section may be disclosed to a court of competent jurisdiction.
Records involving children shall be disclosed to the Division of Victim Compensation of the Office of the Attorney General upon the division’s request for purposes of determination of eligibility for victim compensation benefits.
Information concerning an investigation into a report of child abuse or child neglect may be disclosed by the Department of Child Protection Services to any attorney, physician, dentist, intern, resident, nurse, psychologist, social worker, family protection worker, family protection specialist, child caregiver, minister, law enforcement officer, or a public or private school employee making that report pursuant to Section 43-21-353(1) if the reporter has a continuing professional relationship with the child and a need for such information in order to protect or treat the child.
(5) Information concerning an investigation into a report of child abuse or child neglect may be disclosed to any interagency child abuse task force by order of the appropriate youth court.
(6) The victim of an offense committed by a child who is the subject of a youth court cause shall have the right to be informed of the child’s disposition by the youth court.
(7) A classification hearing officer of the State Department of Corrections, as provided in Section 47-5-103, shall have the right to inspect any youth court records, excluding abuse and neglect records, of any offender in the custody of the department who as a child or minor was a juvenile offender or was the subject of a youth court cause of action, and the State Parole Board, as provided in Section 47-7-17, shall have the right to inspect such records when the offender becomes eligible for parole.
(8) The youth court shall notify the Department of Public Safety of the name, and any other identifying information such department may require, of any child who is adjudicated delinquent as a result of a violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Law.
(9) The Administrative Office of Courts shall have the right to inspect any youth court records
(10) Upon a request by a youth court, the Administrative Office of Courts shall disclose all information at its disposal concerning any previous youth court intakes alleging that a child was a delinquent child, child in need of supervision, child in need of special care, truant child, abused child or neglected child, as well as any previous youth court adjudications for the same and all dispositional information concerning a child who at the time of such request comes under the jurisdiction of the youth court making such request.
(11) The Administrative Office of Courts may, in its discretion, disclose to the Department of Public Safety any or all of the information involving children contained in the uniform youth court data management system.
(12) The youth courts of the state shall disclose to the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) any youth court records in order that the number of youthful offenders, abused, neglected, truant and dependent children, as well as children in need of special care and children in need of supervision, may be tracked with specificity through the youth court and adult justice system, and to utilize tracking forms for such purpose. The disclosure prescribed in this subsection shall not require a court order and shall be made in sortable, electronic format where possible. The PEER Committee may seek the assistance of the Administrative Office of Courts in seeking this information. The PEER Committee shall not disclose the identities of any youth who have been adjudicated in the youth courts of the state and shall only use the disclosed information for the purpose of monitoring the effectiveness and efficiency of programs established to assist adjudicated youth, and to ascertain the incidence of adjudicated youth who become adult offenders.
(13) Any member of a foster care review board designated by the Department of Child Protection Services shall have the right to inspect youth court records relating to the abuse, neglect or child in need of supervision cases assigned to such member for review.
(14) Information concerning an investigation into a report of child abuse or child neglect may be disclosed in any administrative or due process hearing held, pursuant to Section 43-21-257, by the Department of Child Protection Services for individuals whose names will be placed on the central registry as substantiated perpetrators.
(15) The Department of Child Protection Services may disclose records involving children to the following:(a) A foster home, residential child-caring agency or child-placing agency to the extent necessary to provide such care and services to a child;(b) An individual, agency or organization that provides services to a child or the child’s family in furtherance of the child’s permanency plan to the extent necessary in providing those services;(c) Health and mental health care providers of a child to the extent necessary for the provider to properly treat and care for the child;(d) An educational institution or educational services provider where the child is enrolled or where enrollment is anticipated to the extent necessary for the school to provide appropriate services to the child;(e) Any state agency or board that administers student financial assistance programs. However, any records request under this paragraph shall be initiated by the agency or board for the purpose determining the child’s eligibility for student financial assistance, and any disclosure shall be limited to the verification of the child’s age during the period of time in which the child was in the department’s legal custody; and(f) Any other state agency if the disclosure is necessary to the department in fulfilling its statutory responsibilities in protecting the best interests of the child.
(a) A foster home, residential child-caring agency or child-placing agency to the extent necessary to provide such care and services to a child;
(b) An individual, agency or organization that provides services to a child or the child’s family in furtherance of the child’s permanency plan to the extent necessary in providing those services;
(c) Health and mental health care providers of a child to the extent necessary for the provider to properly treat and care for the child;
(d) An educational institution or educational services provider where the child is enrolled or where enrollment is anticipated to the extent necessary for the school to provide appropriate services to the child;
(e) Any state agency or board that administers student financial assistance programs. However, any records request under this paragraph shall be initiated by the agency or board for the purpose determining the child’s eligibility for student financial assistance, and any disclosure shall be limited to the verification of the child’s age during the period of time in which the child was in the department’s legal custody; and
(f) Any other state agency if the disclosure is necessary to the department in fulfilling its statutory responsibilities in protecting the best interests of the child.
(16) The provisions of this section shall stand repealed on July 1, 2029.