juvenile offenders

In just a matter of months, Gov. Jeff Landry plans to reopen a Baton Rouge-area youth prison shuttered a little over a decade ago with support at the time from Democrats and Republicans.

Louisiana senators are pressing state officials for information about the leadership of a controversial juvenile justice facility the state is using as its youth girls prison again.

Two Louisiana senators are raising questions about why Louisiana’s youth prison system banned at-home visits for incarcerated minors for holidays including Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day.

Girls returned to Ware Youth Center after being transferred elsewhere last year.

Around 70 mental health professionals and educators in Louisiana have signed a letter urging state lawmakers to vote against a proposed constitutional amendment that could send more young teenagers to adult prisons.

In a special lawmaking session focused on tax policy, Louisiana lawmakers are also quietly moving legislation that could lead to more underage youth being sent to adult prisons.

Louisiana officials expect to put tens of millions of dollars over the next two months into expanding juvenile detention centers that house children and teenagers accused of crimes.

“Having a felony arrest or conviction on your record is like wearing a heavy yoke around your neck," said Aaron Clark-Rizzio, the legal director for the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights.

The session’s first criminal justice reform bill is headed to the Senate floor. SB 16 by Dan Claitor addresses the problem of those previously sentenced…

Young delinquents are much more likely than their peers to die violently as adults. And girls are at particular risk. Lack of access to preventive care is partly to blame, researchers say.