Committee questions data showing sharp drop in Harrison County children in state custody
Committee members reviewed a timeline of custody counts showing Harrison County falling from about 792 children in 2019 to roughly 248 in 2026; participants disputed whether the decline reflects improved outcomes, population changes, or reporting differences introduced after 2022.
The full story
Speaker 3 presented state numbers tracing Harrison County custody counts from 2013 to 2026 and highlighted an apparent decline: 792 in 2019, 391 in 2020, 240 in 2024, 227 in 2025 and 248 in 2026 (as of Sept. 11, 2026). Committee members questioned how growing county population and historic trends, including post-Katrina spikes, fit with the recent decline and asked whether reporting changes or policy shifts account for the numbers.
Sign up to keep reading.
Your free newsletter brings you what your city council, county, and school board discussed and decided.
Keep reading for free
Create a free account to finish this story and see the video, transcript and key details.
Continue with GoogleContinue with emailAlready have an account? Log in