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Mississippi
The Honorable |
The Honorable John N. Hudson, Adams County Judge for the past nineteen years, has been a tireless leader in the state of Mississippi for all issues involving youth. Judge Hudson has implemented numerous programs to assist the Youth Court and the general community, contributing to the establishment of the following: the Court Appointed Special Advocate for Abused and Neglected Children (CASA) Program in 1991; the Adolescent Offender Program, which serves delinquent youth who would otherwise be sent to Reform School; the first Juvenile Drug Court in Mississippi; the development of the Pendleton Therapeutic Group Home for Adolescent Boys; the $315,000 three-year Title V Delinquency Prevention Grant for Adams County; the four-year $580,000 Families First Resource Center Grant; the $300,000 three-year Mississippi Alliance for Prevention of Alcohol and Drugs Grant; the $247,000 three-year Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant; and a three-year Arts in Detention Grant. The Judge supervises a Resource Center, stocked with $20,000 worth of books and videos on family issues and offering parenting classes for parents of delinquent and abused and neglected children. He serves as the driving force on numerous professional and court-related committees, including: The Adams County Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse, the Coalition of Children and Youth, the Mississippi Conference of County Court Judges, and the Mississippi Council of Youth Court Judges. Judge Hudson acts as the advocate before the Mississippi Legislature, particularly on issues involving mental health, abuse, neglect, and delinquency. He has been chosen the Outstanding Judge of the Year by the Mississippi Association of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Abused and Neglected Children and as the Most Distinguished Juvenile Justice Professional by the Mississippi Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee. The Judge attributes his motivation to "his faith" and further explains that early on in his life he made a connection with children and youth and has since strived, as circumstances occurred, to promote the physical, emotional, and spiritual life of children whenever able.