Children's Justice

The Children’s Justice Division serves children and families by working with Mississippi Child Protection Services to help children move through the foster care system to the forever homes that best suit the child’s best interests.  In addition, the Division’s prosecutors and investigators help enforce child support orders.

Fixing broken foster care and adoption systems and enhancing child support enforcement are two pillars of Attorney General Fitch’s Empowerment Project. You can learn more about these and the other pillars here.

Lanie Roussel, Director

Lanie is the Director of the Children’s Justice Division for the Attorney General’s Office. In this role, she oversees the attorneys and support staff who represent the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services, as well as those that work with the Mississippi Department of Human Services to enforce child support.

Lanie is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a minor in Communication Studies. She received her Juris Doctorate through the two-year accelerated program at the University of Dayton School of Law in 2017.

Lanie aspired to be a child welfare attorney from a young age. She started her legal practice in a private firm focusing on chancery practice. She became a certified guardian ad litem during this time. In 2019, Lanie transitioned to public service work at the Hancock County Youth Court, where she represented parents throughout the youth court process. She joined the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office in November 2021 as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State Agencies Division.

Lanie was a foster parent from 2021-2024 and adopted her two beautiful girls, Olyvia and Lucy. Additionally, they have a goldendoodle, Lolli-Pop Roussel.