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March 14, 2011 Dear friend, The video footage from a juvenile detention facility is shocking: A guard physically assaults a teenage boy and slams him to the floor. Another boy is hog-tied in his cell. Violence like this is all too common in our juvenile justice system - and it's what we're working to stop. Just days ago, we filed suit against Forrest County, Miss., to gain access to youths held at the county's detention facility and to stop the barbaric treatment they endure. In addition to the physical abuse, children have regularly been confined to filthy cells for 23 hours a day.
Our suit came after a TV station aired a leaked video from a surveillance camera. The county fought unsuccessfully in court to prevent the damning tape from being shown to the public. And when we tried to provide the children with federally mandated protective services, county officials barred us from meeting with the youths.
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