Richard “Rick” Smith is the Director of Juvenile Programs and Training for Mississippi Security Police where he oversees the operation of both the Harrison and Jackson County Youth Detention Centers. He also serves as President of the MS Association of Juvenile Detention Professionals and is a member of the Governor’s Juvenile Detention & Alternatives Task Force, MYDRAI Workgroup Committee, Mississippi’s Juvenile Justice Collaborative, Mississippi’s State Advisory Group and JDAI Coordinator for Harrison County, MS.
Before working in Youth Detention, Rick was a small-business owner and pastored a church in Gautier, MS. Rick’s leadership at the Harrison County Youth Detention Center successfully brought that Center and Mississippi Security Police through a five-year Settlement Agreement with the Southern Poverty Law Center; the first Center in the State to do so. Rick’s involvement in various groups has contributed to many of the sweeping changes in juvenile detention reform throughout our State.
Rick is a 22-year U.S. Navy veteran from Roanoke, VA, father of two daughters (Pamela and Jennifer) and Papaw to four Grandchildren. In his spare time, Rick enjoys going to the gym, camping, hunting and riding his motorcycle.