State-by-state guide:
Mississippi
Miss. Code Ann. §43-21-203(6) (1998): Members of the public are excluded from juvenile hearings unless they have a direct interest in the case or the work of the court.
Miss. Code Ann. §43-21-259 (1998); Miss. Code Ann. §43-21-261 (1998): Court records cannot be disclosed to the public, except by court order. Such an order must include the person or persons to whom the records may be disclosed, the extent of the records which may be disclosed and the purpose of the disclosure. Such orders are to be limited to those instances in which the youth court concludes, in its discretion, "that disclosure is required for the best interests of the child, the public safety or the functioning of the youth court." Furthermore, names and addresses of juveniles adjudicated delinquent twice for an act which would be a felony if committed by an adult, or for unlawful possession of a firearm, or for murder, aggravated assault, any sex offense, burglary, arson, or armed robbery, are available to the public. Finally, in every case where there is any indication or suggestion of either abuse or neglect and a child’s physical condition is medically labeled as medically "serious" or "critical" or a child dies, the confidentiality provisions do not apply.
Ability to publish: The state Supreme Court overturned the contempt conviction of Delta Democrat Times reporter Cynthia Jeffries, who had written about a discussion of a criminal defendant’s juvenile record in open court. Jeffries had been ordered not to publish any information of the juvenile’s record and disobeyed the order. Jeffries v. Mississippi, 724 So.2d 897 (Miss. 1998).
Access granted: A youth court judge did not abuse his discretion in holding that youth court records of a juvenile’s adjudication of delinquency arising from a shoplifting incident could be released for the purposes of the juvenile’s civil suit for slander, assault, and battery against a store employee arising from the same incident. The Mississippi Supreme Court held that the right of "confidentiality" on behalf of the child in a youth court proceeding is a "qualified" and not an "absolute" privilege. Daniels by Glass v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 634 So.2d 88 (Miss. 1993).