Ellington

BRANDON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Department of Corrections says it has opened a unit for youthful offenders at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County.

The department says in a news release that the unit began operating Wednesday. It is separate from the other inmates at the central Mississippi facility and has its own staff.

The Youthful Offender Unit can hold 42 inmates. It houses males ages 17 and under, along with some 18- and 19-year-olds deemed vulnerable and appropriate for the facility.