Oakley Youth Development Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oakley
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| Oakley Youth Development Center | |
 Oakley
Location in Mississippi
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| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Hinds |
| Elevation | 197 ft (60 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes |
39154
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| Area code(s) | 601 |
| GNIS feature ID | 675128 |
| Website | mdhs.state.ms.us/dys_instit.html |
The Oakley Youth Development Center (OYDC) is a special facility for young people in Mississippi. It used to be called the Oakley Training School. This center helps young people who have been involved in the justice system. It is the only place like it for young people in Mississippi.
OYDC is located in Hinds County, Mississippi, near Raymond, Mississippi. It is part of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The center can hold up to 150 students. It sits on a large piece of land, about 1,068 acres, surrounded by farms. It takes about 30 minutes to drive there from Jackson, Mississippi.
Only young people who have committed serious crimes, or several smaller crimes, can be sent to Oakley. The center can keep a young person until they turn 20 years old. In 2023, the United States and Mississippi made an agreement about the care provided at the facility.
Contents
History of Oakley
The area where Oakley is located has a long history. A post office first opened there in 1837.
From Farm to Facility
Oakley was originally a large farm. It was used as a prison for women in Mississippi. In 1894, the state bought the 2,725-acre property. All women in the state's prison system were housed at Oakley Farm.
A plant that crushed limestone was also built there. However, this plant did not make money. The farm's soil was not very good, so farming was difficult. In the early 1900s, the women prisoners were moved to another facility called Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman).
Changes and Challenges
The state prison hospital stayed at Oakley for a while. On July 21, 1913, a fire tragically occurred at the Oakley Prison Farm. It led to the deaths of thirty-five prisoners.
In 1925, other prisons in Mississippi became too crowded. Because of this, 75 young white prisoners, aged 14 to 21, were moved to Oakley. This was when Oakley began to be used as a place for young people. Before this, the facility was not doing well financially. After it became a juvenile facility, it still cost a lot of money to run, but it was seen as a more helpful use of the property.
Desegregation and Modernization
Later, Oakley was known as the Negro Juvenile Reformatory. It was also called the Black Juvenile Reformatory School. Before schools and facilities were desegregated, Oakley housed Black boys and girls. Another facility, the Columbia Training School, housed white boys and girls.
Around the 1970s, a plan was put in place to end segregation. This plan meant that all male students aged 15 and older, regardless of race, would go to Oakley. Younger males (14 and under) and all females would go to Columbia.
In 1999, the U.S. Department of Justice gave money to build a new unit at Oakley. This unit was for girls and could hold 15 students. Around 2008, some groups suggested that Oakley should be closed. However, officials from the school said that many improvements had been made since earlier problems.
Notable People from Oakley
- Brenda Travis was a student from McComb, Mississippi. She was sent to Oakley Training School. This happened because she took part in important civil rights protests.
