NATCHEZ — Former Adams County Youth Court Judge John Hudson will serve as the go-to resource for the state of Mississippi’s youth court needs.

Hudson stepped down from the county court bench in January after 31 years, declining to run again at the time because he had been given a chance to pursue another opportunity.

While he did not disclose what the opportunity was, the state Supreme Court announced last week he would serve in the newly created Jurist in Residence position, which is tasked with assisting youth courts across the state in their dealings with abused, neglected and delinquent youth.

“The purpose is to help bring some uniform practices to the way children are treated in the courts throughout the state,” Hudson said. “My priority is to be a resource to help local Youth Courts become more effective and efficient.”

In 61 counties, the Chancery Court oversees youth court matters, while in 21 counties, a county court handles youth cases. Staffing, structure and resources vary significantly between jurisdictions.

“(Having the Jurist in Residence) will be an excellent opportunity to get some expertise developed in areas of the state which may be lacking,” said Rankin County Court and Youth Court Judge Thomas Broome, chairman of the Council of Youth Court Judges.

Hudson has worked for many years to lobby for the expansion of community services to meet the needs of delinquent, abused and neglected children in the community and in the improvement of the juvenile justice systems, and as Adams County youth court judge, he developed one of the first five adolescent offender programs in Mississippi.

During his tenure on the bench he started the first juvenile drug court in the state, one of the two  first family drug courts, a regional family first resource center providing parenting and character resources to children and their families, a GED program for individuals involved in the court system and educational instruction for incarcerated youth, and a Court Appointed Special Advocacy (CASA) program for abused and neglected children.

He also served as chair of the Mississippi Council of Youth Court Judges from 1993-2000, and as legislative liaison for the Council from 2000 to 2014.

He likewise led efforts to develop alternatives to detention for juveniles, including a local community service program, intensive supervision and GPS tracking.

He served as chair of the Juvenile Detention  Alternatives Initiative Task Force for the state of Mississippi, which developed alternatives to detention for juveniles statewide  and developed licensing standards for all juvenile detention centers.

According to a Supreme Court spokesperson, the position of Jurist in Residence was created on the recommendation of the Commission on Children’s Justice, which Broome co-chaired with Supreme Court Justice Randy Pierce.

The Commission’s December 2013 report called for — among other things — establishment of  a state position of Resident Jurist to assist the Mississippi Supreme Court in performing its supervisory role with respect to effective administration of justice in Youth Courts, serve as a liaison to the Department of Human Services and other state agencies involved in child protection, and provide training to Youth Court judges.

Pierce said he was pleased Hudson will be Mississippi’s first Jurist in Residence.

“Judge Hudson will be an asset to our Youth Courts and to the Supreme Court as we ensure the best possible outcomes for Mississippi’s children,” Pierce said.

Funding for the position comes from the Seattle-based Casey Family Programs, which has committed $60,000 for the first year and an expectation to provide future funding.

Isabel Blanco, senior director and lead strategic consultant for Casey Family Programs in Mississippi, said Hudson is an “invaluable resource” and that the foundation intends to continue supporting “what we feel is a very strong strategy.”

Hudson will continue living in Natchez, but will travel to other courts in his new capacity.