In each area of study, the resultant recommendations concern basic questions of structural organization, financial management, and administrative practice. In many instances, recommendations are made with one or more alternatives, providing options for the decisionmaking and implementation efforts of Mississippi judicial system managers. A high priority in future court reform efforts in Mississippi is that of lower court organization and adminstrative procedure. The present justice court system is a carryover from the typical justice of the peace system, a type of system which has been abolished or radically reformed in most States. An equally high priority in the restructuring of the State's judicial organizations is that of clerks' offices. The present bifurcated system, which parallels the bifurcated general jurisdiction trial court system, invites duplication and waste in administrative practice. Improvements in the youth court system and in indigent defense services are also central to continued progress in the quality of criminal justice in Mississippi. From a comprehensive analysis of financial administration, the basic recommendation is that an increased State financial responsibility is preferable to the current system in which local government carries the major burden. Increased State funding, accompanied by a more active State role in judicial administration, is a central theme in recommendations throughout the report. Tabular data and footnotes are provided. For related documents, see NCJ 70128 to 70134.