Committee questions data showing sharp drop in Harrison County children in state custody

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.

A participant calculated cases per 1,000 residents and said CPS cases per 1,000 fell from 3.8 in 2019 to about 1.0 in 2025, noting population growth as a factor. Speakers agreed the data warrant further investigation — distinguishing absolute counts from per-capita measures — and noted historical structural factors such as transient populations and military presence that affect local rates.