[5/8/03]Grand jurors have followed the pattern set by their predecessors in urging more support for the Warren County Youth Court system.

The panel’s written report expressed at least as much optimism in the system’s leadership, however, as any other filed in the past four years.

The jurors, selected at random from voter rolls, met beginning Monday. They delivered their report to Judge Frank Vollor Wednesday afternoon.

The report said jurors were “impressed by the passion and changes” during the 120 days Warren County Court and Youth Court Judge Johnny Price and County Prosecutor Marcie Southerland have been in office.

Price, who was county prosecutor for 13 years before becoming judge at the beginning of this year, has addressed 13 of the past 16 quarterly grand juries. Before the change in leadership this year, the last time both judge and prosecutor had addressed the panel was January 2001.

“I feel very optimistic about what they’re going to do in the future,” a grand juror said after the jury’s dismissal. Grand jurors mentioned some of the new programs that are in the works for county young people, including a Youth Court Boy Scout troop.

Also planned is a program in which “somebody will come and get the children for church on Sunday,” to provide “structure in their life other than just standing on the street corner,” a juror said.

Youth Court hears juvenile matters including delinquency, abuse and neglect of those under 18, and its proceedings are confidential. The judge and county prosecutor are the officials most frequently involved with juvenile prosecutions and other matters in the court.

Grand juries hear evidence presented by law-enforcement agencies and consider returning indictments, and they also are charged with interviewing public officials and assessing and making recommendations on the general state of crime, law enforcement and other matters of public interest.

In addition to Price and Southerland, this week’s panel met with four members of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, Sheriff Martin Pace and county health department nursing supervisor Salena Greenlee. They toured the Vicksburg Police Department and the Warren County Jail.

The panel “strongly recommend(ed) that improvements be made at the jail to improve the safety and security of Warren County citizens, sheriff’s employees and inmates.” Recommendations for the jail included increasing staff on duty, enforcing strict adherence to existing jail procedures and improving lighting in jail areas and increasing the jail budget.

It also recognized the police department for using training opportunities efficiently, and urged that it continue emphasis on narcotics crimes “as it is the primary cause of a vast majority of the cases we heard.”

Grand jurors reported that they were “immensely satisfied with the performance of the health department’s service and programs.” And it recommended that the department’s “lack of appropriate staff be made a first priority in order for them to continue to serve the county in a sufficient manner.”

Grand jurors also recommended that the county make improvements to the lighting and sound system of the circuit courtroom.

And they made a general recommendation for “continued coordination of the county and city governments to the common goal of improved services.”