Home / Crime and Justice / Mississippi Kids Locked in Hotel Prisons
Mississippi Kids Locked in Hotel Prisons
24 Sep
Summary
- MDCPS spent over $34 million on hotel rooms for children.
- Children stayed in hotels for up to 479 days.
- State failed to meet legal commitments for child placements.
Since 2022, Mississippi's Child Protection Services (MDCPS) has allocated over $34 million to place children in rented hotel rooms, with private companies providing hourly supervision. This practice has been labeled "prison-like" by those involved, as children are confined to these rooms.
A federal monitor's report from July 2026 revealed that at least 155 children experienced hotel stays in a nine-month period of 2025. These placements, classified as "unlicensed, non-residential facilities," lasted from one day to nearly 17 months, with an average of 65 days.
The monitor's report also detailed significant failures by MDCPS to comply with a federal consent decree. Specifically, the agency did not resolve safety issues within five days or non-safety issues within 30 days in a majority of cases.
Investigations uncovered instances of neglect by contracted sitters, including drug use while on duty and failure to maintain adequate supervision, leading to serious incidents like sexual assault and human trafficking risks.
Compounding the issue is a severe shortage of licensed foster homes, exacerbated by MDCPS's own failures in vetting and licensing homes. Many licensed homes do not meet state standards, and background checks are often incomplete.
The state's response, including efforts to expand psychiatric facilities like Canopy Services, has been questioned as insufficient compared to the vast sums spent on hotel placements and the urgent needs of children in state custody.
