Found 53 matches.
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COVID-19 Resource_LCCR Letter
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions
Louisiana Center for Children's Rights sent a letter to local officials advocating for youth safety under the COVID-19 pandemic.
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More Harm Than Good: How Children are Unjustly Tried as Adults in New Orleans
Tags: Louisiana | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Research | Member Publications
This SPLC report examines the practice of trying youth as adults in New Orleans: Research consistently demonstrates that prosecuting children as adults increases the likelihood that they will end up behind bars again. As a general matter, juvenile transfer also unjustly treats a child as a fully formed adult when science shows that young people's brains -- and their decision-making abilities -- are still developing. The sentences that transferred youth receive in Orleans Parish are often the same as they could have received in the juvenile justice system. But young people in the adult system will serve those sentences without the services offered by the juvenile system -- services that rehabilitate, educate, and prepare them for successful re-entry into the community, even as they are held securely in a juvenile prison.
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A Legislated Study of Raising the Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction in Louisiana: The future of 17-year-olds in the Louisiana Justice System
Tags: Louisiana | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Reports
This study, authorized by the Louisiana State Legislature in House Concurrent Resolution No. 73 of the 2015 Regular session, was completed at an expedited pace over a six-month period to meet the deadlines established in the resolution. Three key findings of this study are summarized below. *There is a growing consensus, based on a large body of scientific evidence, that 17-year-olds are developmentally different than adults and should be treated as such. *The last several years of reform in the Louisiana juvenile justice system have created a capacity to accept, manage, and rehabilitate these youth in a manner that will predictably generate better outcomes than the adult system. *The initial impact projections are generally lower than states that have recently gone before Louisiana in raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction, and those states found that the impact on the system was substantially less than first predicted. In fact, states have reported substantial fiscal savings. We have reason to suspect this will be the same for Louisiana.
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Keep Children Out of Orleans Parish Prison
Tags: Louisiana | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications
Louisiana Center for Children's Rights. LCCR successfully used this November 2014 publication as part of its successful effort to get a city council resolution that youth transferred to adult court in New Orleans be housed in juvenile detention pre-trial, not adult jail.
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Louisiana Children & Youth Planning Board Toolkit: Creating & Optimizing Children & Youth Planning Boards
Tags: Louisiana | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Reports
This Models for Change toolkit offers 11 tools for the development and operation of "children and youth planning boards."
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Louisiana Replaces Mandatory Life Without Parole Sentences for Youth with 35 Year Mandatory Minimums
Tags: Louisiana | Life Without Parole and Parole Issues | Legislation
In order to comply with Miller v. Alabama, 132 S. Ct. 2455 (2012), Louisiana passed legislation establishing parole eligibility for certain youth sentenced to life imprisonment for homicide offenses. However, it replaced the life without parole sentence with a 35 year mandatory minimum sentence which is not retroactive. When sentencing youth convicted of first- or second-degree murder, the court must conduct a hearing to determine whether any life sentence should include parole eligibility, taking into consideration the facts of the crime, criminal history, level of family support, and social history of the youth. The law creates specific criteria that must be met in order for someone sentenced to life imprisonment as a youth to become eligible for parole, including: completion of thirty-five years of the sentence; no discipline offenses within the past twelve months; completion of at least 100 hours of pre-release programming; completion of substance abuse treatment, if applicable; completion of a diploma, GED, or literacy, adult basic education, or job training program; designation as low-risk after a validated risk assessment; and completion of a reentry program. Additionally, at the parole hearing, board members must consider an evaluation by an expert in adolescent brain development and behavior. H.B. 152/Act No. 239, signed into law June 12, 2013; effective August 1, 2013.
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Louisiana Aims to Better Serve Crossover Youth
Tags: Louisiana | Crossover and Dual Jurisdiction Youth | Legislation
Recognizing the need for targeted case management and better coordination between systems, the Louisiana legislature passed a law to better serve youth in the juvenile justice system who are in need of mental health or child welfare services. The legislation requires the creation of an “Integrated Case Management Planning System” that focuses on the behavioral health, rehabilitative, and educational needs of youth involved in or exiting the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections and the Department of Children and Family Services must work together to identify the prevalence of youth served by multiple systems, identify opportunities to more efficiently and effectively deliver programs and services to youth across all systems of care, and develop mechanisms for funding of such programs and services. By July 1, 2014 the departments must jointly issue a report of the timeline and processes for implementing the program by July 1, 2015. S.B. 107/Act No. 214, signed into law June 10, 2013; effective August 1, 2013.
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Louisiana Children & Youth Planning Board (Act 555): Planning Tools and Resources
Tags: Louisiana | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
This toolkit compiles resources that the Models for Change Project uses to create and strengthen Children and Youth Planning Boards (CYPBs). Topics include: writing a mission statement, developing organizational structure, covering issues and action items, and much more.
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Louisiana Designates Primary Researcher and Advisor to Legislature on Juvenile Justice Issues
Tags: Louisiana | General System Reform | Evidence-Based Practices | Legislation
The Louisiana legislature designated the Institute for Public Health and Justice of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans as the primary researcher and advisor to the legislature on issues related to youth involved with the criminal justice system and youth with behavioral needs. The institute is to provide reliable and current information about best practices and successful local models, prepare annual reports for the legislature, offer technical assistance to the Juvenile Justice Reform Act Implementation Commission, and monitor juvenile justice reforms. H.B. 177/Act No. 3, signed into law May 23, 2013; effective August 1, 2013.
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Common Ground: Lessons Learned from Five States that Reduced Juvenile Confinement by More than Half
Tags: Arizona | Connecticut | Louisiana | Minnesota | Tennessee | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | Reports | Partner Publications
Report looks closely at five states that did the most to reduce their juvenile incarceration rates between 2001 and 2010-- Connecticut, Arizona, Minnesota, Louisiana, and Tennessee. Looks at the common factors driving their success, and makes recommendations to the field and other states.
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DOJ Consent Decree Regarding the New Orleans Police Department
Tags: Louisiana | LGBTQ Youth | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Court Decisions and Related Documents
In a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the New Orleans Police Department agrees to "fundamentally change the way it polices the New Orleans community.” The consent decree is a result of DOJ findings of patterns of misconduct that violate the Constitution and federal law--especially as applied to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.
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Legislature Strengthens Licensing Requirements for Juvenile Detention Facilities
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Louisiana amended the licensing provisions for juvenile detention facilities, establishing penalties for operating a facility without a valid license and allowing the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) to develop a corrective action plan for facilities in violation of detention standards. Facilities that violate licensing standards may be fined or be subject to an injunction against any illegal or unsafe operations. Any fines collected will go into the newly established “Juvenile Detention Licensing Fund,” which will fund education and training of employees, staff, or other personnel at youth facilities. H.B. 982/Act No. 814, signed into law June 13, 2012; effective January 1, 2013.
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Legislation Makes Filing of a Complaint a Last Resort
Tags: Louisiana | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
Louisiana now requires any agency wishing to file a complaint in juvenile court to utilize “all appropriate and available” resources prior to filing the complaint. If the agency does file a complaint, it must provide documentation of all steps it has taken prior to the filing. If a school files a complaint, it must document meetings held with the youth, meetings with the youth’s caretaker, and referral of the youth to school behavior support personnel. S.B. 467/Act No.660, signed into law June 7, 2012; effective August 1, 2012.
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Legislature Aims to Improve Education for Committed Youth
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Recognizing that education is one of the most important aspects of rehabilitation, Louisiana established a policy to help ensure all youth committed to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections receive a quality education. All youth must be assessed using a research-based diagnostic tool within 30 days of placement to a secure facility. The department will use this assessment to develop an academic plan and timetable to improve the youth’s reading ability, bring the child up to grade level, or help the youth prepare for a high school diploma, GED, or a certificate of achievement from the Special School District. S.B. 156/Act No. 629, signed into law and effective June 7, 2012.
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Louisiana Prohibits Life-Without-Parole Sentences for Non-Homicide Offenses
Tags: Louisiana | Life Without Parole and Parole Issues | Legislation
Louisiana passed legislation to end juvenile life without parole for non-homicide offenses. The bill follows the ruling in Graham v. Florida, 560 U.S. 48 (2010), providing parole eligibility for youth sentenced to life imprisonment who have reached age forty-five, served twenty years of the imposed sentence, and have no serious disciplinary offenses. The parole board must consider a risk assessment, an evaluation by an expert in adolescent brain development, and any other relevant information. S.B. 317/Act No. 466, signed into law June 1, 2012; effective August 1, 2012.
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Louisiana Protects Child Trafficking Victims from Prosecution for Prostitution
Tags: Louisiana | Victims | Legislation
Thanks to a new Louisiana law, youth who are victims of trafficking may not be adjudicated as delinquent for prostitution-related offenses. The law also allows youth who were victims of trafficking and were adjudicated delinquent for prostitution-related offenses to have their records expunged. H.B. 49/Act No. 446, signed into law June 1, 2012; effective August 1, 2012.
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What's Really Up Doc?: A Call for Reform of the Office of Juvenile Justice
Tags: Louisiana | General System Reform | Member Publications
Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children and the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, NJJN members, present a report on the current state of Louisiana's juvenile justice system and recommendations for its improvement.
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Louisiana Families in Need of Services Commission Final Report, February 10, 2012
Tags: Louisiana | Status Offenses | Reports
A Senate Concurrent Resolution created the Families in Need of Services (FINS) Commission to study Louisiana’s FINS system, including how the state handles youth who commit status offenses. The legislature directed the commission to make recommendations regarding the key components of a model status offender program and to consult with the MacArthur Foundation’s Louisiana Models for Change initiative, among other stakeholders. The commission issued its final report in February 2012, which recommends limited use of detention for youth who commit status offenses; use of alternatives to detention and appropriate graduated sanctions; and gathering and analysis of data related to the FINS system in order to track outcomes.
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Louisiana Public Defender Board Performance Standards for Legal Representation in Delinquency Proceedings, December 2011
Tags: Louisiana | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
The Louisiana Public Defender Board issued the state’s first trial court performance standards for juvenile delinquency proceedings. The standards are intended to alert defense counsel to courses of action that may be necessary, advisable, or appropriate, and thereby assist attorneys in deciding upon the particular actions that must be taken in each case to ensure that the client receives the best representation possible.
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A Failing System Reminiscent of Tallulah, Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children
Tags: Louisiana | Family and Youth Involvement | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Member Publications
Report charging that the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice has not effectively implemented the Juvenile Justice Reform Act (Act 1225), and that its attempt to adopt the "Missouri Model" has not worked because it has done so in piecemeal fashion, rather than embracing model wholesale. The report outlines key areas in which the state of Louisiana has failed to follow through on its plan to implement the Missouri Model: "lack of real family involvement; lack of high caliber; staff involvement; lack of productive youth interaction, placement, and services; lack of therapeutic, safe and consistent settings; and lack of transparency." The report includes recommendations for reform.
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Non-Discriminatory, Developmentally-Sound Treatment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Youth, New Orleans Youth Study Center
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | LGBTQ Youth | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Policy providing eleven procedural guidelines regarding LGBT youth, including a definition of what qualifies as discrimination, harassment, and abuse of LGBT youth; a prohibition on discriminating or threatening anyone based upon their sexual orientation or gender identity, by both staff and other incarcerated youth; and a prohibition on placing LGBT youth in isolation as a "means of keeping them safe from discrimination." The policy also includes provisions regarding transgender youth, including that transgender youth will not be forced to shower or change clothing in front of staff or other youth-a situation that can be especially humiliating and terrifying for this demographic.
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Youth Study Center Becomes National Leader with Model LGBT Policy
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | LGBTQ Youth | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Press release regarding LGBT policy for New Orleans' juvenile detention center, which provides eleven procedural guidelines, including a definition of what qualifies as discrimination, harassment, and abuse of LGBT youth; a prohibition on discriminating or threatening anyone based upon their sexual orientation or gender identity, by both staff and other incarcerated youth; and a prohibition on placing LGBT youth in isolation as a "means of keeping them safe from discrimination." The policy also includes provisions regarding transgender youth, including that transgender youth will not be forced to shower or change clothing in front of staff or other youth-a situation that can be especially humiliating and terrifying for this demographic.
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Youth Study Center LGBT Policies, New Orleans, Louisiana, August 2011
Tags: Louisiana | LGBTQ Youth | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
The policy oversees the protection of LGBT youth already in the custody of the system—estimated at 15 percent, according to national data—and also mandates that direct care staff, supervisors, and social service providers at the detention center undergo training to help create a safer environment for LGBT youth in their care. The policy provides eleven procedural guidelines, including a definition of what qualifies as discrimination, harassment, and abuse of LGBT youth; a prohibition on discriminating or threatening anyone based upon their sexual orientation or gender identity, by both staff and other incarcerated youth; and a prohibition on placing LGBT youth in isolation as a “means of keeping them safe from discrimination.”
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Louisiana Families in Need of Services Commission to Make Recommendations for Reform of Status Offense Policies and Practices, S.C.R. 44
Tags: Louisiana | Status Offenses | Legislation
A Senate Concurrent Resolution created the Families in Need of Services (FINS) Commission to study Louisiana’s FINS system, including how the state handles youth who commit status offenses. The legislature directed the commission to make recommendations regarding the key components of a model status offender program and to consult with the MacArthur Foundation’s Louisiana Models for Change initiative, among other stakeholders. The commission issued its final report in February 2012, which recommends limited use of detention for youth who commit status offenses; use of alternatives to detention and appropriate graduated sanctions; and gathering and analysis of data related to the FINS system in order to track outcomes.
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Louisiana House Resolves to Assess Juvenile Justice System and Develop Recommendations for Reform, H.C.R. 120
Tags: Louisiana | General System Reform | Legislation
Recognizing the deficiencies of juvenile facilities in Louisiana, past violations of civil rights, dramatic downsizing since 2003, and the positive influence of the MacArthur Foundation’s Louisiana Models for Change initiative, a House Concurrent Resolution urged the Juvenile Justice Reform Act Implementation Commission to assess the current state of the juvenile justice system, evaluate improvements made over the preceding five years, and issue recommendations for a five-year plan for reform. The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center’s Institute for Public Health and Justice will conduct the study; its report is expected in January 2013.
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Louisiana Order Modifying Conditions Consent Decree at Orleans Parish Detention Center
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Court Decisions and Related Documents
In February 2010, two consent decrees were finalized regarding conditions of confinement and education at New Orleans’ juvenile detention center, the Youth Study Center. The consent decrees were filed in October 2009 following twenty-two months of negotiations after a class-action lawsuit was filed in December 2007. The lawsuit included allegations of locked fire doors with no available keys, insects and rodents biting youth, children with serious conditions being denied their medication, and suicidal youth not receiving mental health services. The consent decrees’ provisions include increased staffing for the Youth Study Center; increased training of all staff on such issues as suicide prevention, behavior, and classroom management; improved healthcare, including prohibiting staff from denying medical care to youth and increased medical and mental health staffing; increased focus on programming, education, and physical recreation; and an increase of one social worker per unit.
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DOJ Investigation of the New Orleans Police Department
Tags: Louisiana | LGBTQ Youth | Reports
The U.S. Department of Justice's 2011 investigation of the New Orleans Police Department finds "reasonable cause to believe that NOPD engages in patterns of misconduct that violate the Constitution and federal law," including a culture of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.
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Stopping the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Pipeline by Enforcing Federal Special Education Law, Jim Comstock-Galagan, Southern Disability Law Center and Rhonda Brownstein, Southern Poverty Law Center
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Article discussing a promising strategy to address the schoolhouse to jailhouse pipeline, which has led to positive results in Louisiana.
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Locked Up and Out: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth in Louisiana's Juvenile Justice System, Wesley Ware, Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
Tags: Louisiana | LGBTQ Youth | Reports
Report addressing how LGBT youth are funneled into the deep end of the juvenile justice system, the particular challenges that they face once there, and the lack of resources available specific to their needs. Report also addresses policy, administrative, and programming solutions that Louisiana can employ in order to ensure a safe environment for all youth in the state's care, and in particular those that are the most vulnerable. Finally, report proposes that advocates for racial justice, juvenile justice, and LGBT rights come together more effectively and collaboratively in the future, to ensure justice and equitable treatment for all of Louisiana's youth.
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An Advocate's Guide to Meaningful Family Partnerships: Tips from the Field, NJJN
Tags: California | Louisiana | Family and Youth Involvement | Reports | NJJN Publications
Offers strategies for forming and sustaining meaningful partnerships with family members. Case examples from California and Louisiana.
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Louisiana Creates Task Force on Juvenile Detention Center Standards, H.B. 1477
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Detention reform in Louisiana passed another milestone in July 2011, when the Task Force on Juvenile Detention Center Standards submitted a final draft of proposed standards to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The task force was created by legislation passed in 2010 (H.B. 1477). The standards—informed by the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative—end the use of restraint chairs and chemical restraints such as pepper spray in facilities; mandate that staff receive increased training, including on best practices for working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth; address access to required educational and other services; and create procedures for reporting complaints. Final standards were promulgated January 31, 2012, with all facilities to be licensed and in compliance by the end of 2013.
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Louisiana Senate Passes Resolution to Move State Closer to “Missouri Model” of Juvenile Justice, S.C.R. 131
Tags: Louisiana | General System Reform | Legislation
The Louisiana State Legislature passed a resolution to further Louisiana’s efforts to implement the “Missouri Model” of juvenile justice. The resolution establishes a task force, which includes local advocacy organizations, to evaluate Louisiana’s progress towards implementing the Missouri Model and determine what further steps should be taken. Task force meetings are ongoing. S.C.R. 131, adopted June 21, 2010 and H.C.R. 245, adopted on June 16, 2010.
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Louisiana House Passes Resolution to Move State Closer to “Missouri Model” of Juvenile Justice, H.C.R. 245
Tags: Louisiana | General System Reform | Legislation
The Louisiana State Legislature passed a resolution to further Louisiana’s efforts to implement the “Missouri Model” of juvenile justice. The resolution establishes a task force, which includes local advocacy organizations, to evaluate Louisiana’s progress towards implementing the Missouri Model and determine what further steps should be taken. Task force meetings are ongoing. S.C.R. 131, adopted June 21, 2010 and H.C.R. 245, adopted on June 16, 2010.
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Louisiana Commits to Improved Behavior and Discipline Plans in Schools, S.B. 527
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Legislation requires Louisiana schools to develop master plans that provide for the training of teachers, principals, and other school personnel in the areas of positive behavioral supports, conflict resolution, mediation, cultural competence, restorative practices, guidance and discipline, and adolescent development. Public school boards must provide ongoing classroom management courses and regularly review discipline data from each school to determine what additional training is needed and what additional classroom support activities should be provided.
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Louisiana Law Provides for Counsel for Children, H.B. 663
Tags: Louisiana | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
Louisiana law now states that all children are presumed indigent for the purpose of appointment of counsel at the state’s expense. The law permits appointment of counsel for all youth immediately upon arrest and detention. Prior to the law, youth had to wait as long as 72 hours to be appointed counsel at the continued custody hearing. The law is intended to expedite appointment of counsel for youth and avoid detention in certain cases, due to earlier access to information and increased advocacy.
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Louisiana Restricts Use of Youth Confessions, H.B. 663
Tags: Louisiana | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
Louisiana law creates specific restrictions on the use of a youth’s confession in court without a knowing and voluntary waiver, unless the state proves in court beyond a reasonable doubt that the confession was “freely and voluntarily given and was not made under the influence of fear, duress, intimidation, menaces, threats, inducements, or promises.” The legislation includes a list of several factors that the court must consider in making such a determination, including the age and education of the child, and the methods and length of the interrogation.
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How to End the Criminalization of Students of Color: Lessons from Louisiana, Annie Balck and Gina Womack, National Juvenile Justice Network, March 2010; Originally published in the Race Equity E-Newsletter
Tags: Louisiana | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | NJJN Publications
Article describing the nature of the school to prison pipeline and how reform in Louisiana should serve as a lesson for school districts around the country.
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Pushed Out: Harsh Discipline in Louisiana Schools Denies the Right to Education, Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report recommending utilizing more positive disciplinary approaches and reversing zero tolerance policies to reduce expulsions in Louisiana schools.
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Louisiana Consent Decree Aims to Improve Conditions at Orleans Parish Detention Center
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Court Decisions and Related Documents
In February 2010, two consent decrees were finalized regarding conditions of confinement and education at New Orleans’ juvenile detention center, the Youth Study Center. The consent decrees were filed in October 2009 following twenty-two months of negotiations after a class-action lawsuit was filed in December 2007. The lawsuit included allegations of locked fire doors with no available keys, insects and rodents biting youth, children with serious conditions being denied their medication, and suicidal youth not receiving mental health services. The consent decrees’ provisions include increased staffing for the Youth Study Center; increased training of all staff on such issues as suicide prevention, behavior, and classroom management; improved healthcare, including prohibiting staff from denying medical care to youth and increased medical and mental health staffing; increased focus on programming, education, and physical recreation; and an increase of one social worker per unit.
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Louisiana Education Consent Decree Aims to Improve Education at Orleans Parish Detention Center
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Court Decisions and Related Documents
In February 2010, two consent decrees were finalized regarding conditions of confinement and education at New Orleans’ juvenile detention center, the Youth Study Center. The consent decrees were filed in October 2009 following twenty-two months of negotiations after a class-action lawsuit was filed in December 2007. The lawsuit included allegations of locked fire doors with no available keys, insects and rodents biting youth, children with serious conditions being denied their medication, and suicidal youth not receiving mental health services. The consent decrees’ provisions include increased staffing for the Youth Study Center; increased training of all staff on such issues as suicide prevention, behavior, and classroom management; improved healthcare, including prohibiting staff from denying medical care to youth and increased medical and mental health staffing; increased focus on programming, education, and physical recreation; and an increase of one social worker per unit.
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Evidence-Based Programs for Juvenile Justice Reform in Louisiana, White Paper Summary, Models for Change
Tags: Louisiana | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
Brief summary outlining the role of evidence-based programs in juvenile justice, the benefit of these programs and what Louisiana can do to adopt and utilize these programs.
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Louisiana Establishes Standards for Juvenile Detention Facilities, January 31, 2012
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Detention reform in Louisiana passed another milestone in July 2011, when the Task Force on Juvenile Detention Center Standards submitted a final draft of proposed standards to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The task force was created by legislation passed in 2010 (H.B. 1477). The standards—informed by the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative—end the use of restraint chairs and chemical restraints such as pepper spray in facilities; mandate that staff receive increased training, including on best practices for working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth; address access to required educational and other services; and create procedures for reporting complaints. Final standards were promulgated January 31, 2012, with all facilities to be licensed and in compliance by the end of 2013.
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Rapides Parish, Louisiana Service Referral Matrix, September 23, 2009
Tags: Louisiana | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Risk Assessment and Screening | Reports
In May 2009, Rapides Parish juvenile justice officials, in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative, developed a service referral matrix based on the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) with a goal of reducing disproportionate probation revocations. The matrix outlines all of the options available to address a youth’s needs in various domains, including mental health, family relationships, and peers.
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Louisiana Converts Juvenile Institution into Regional Treatment Facility, S.B. 302
Tags: Louisiana | Deinstitutionalization | Legislation
The Jetson Center for Youth, closed as a juvenile correctional facility, is being converted into a regional treatment facility. Legislation sets forth requirements for the operation of the treatment facility, including overall design aligned with national best practices. The facility must have small dorms that house no more than 12 youth, and be limited to 99 youth total. The legislation mandates that the facility have a therapeutic setting, use standardized and validated risk/need assessments, use evidence-based programs, focus on staff development, involve family members, continuously evaluate its programs, and have a staff-to-youth ratio consistent with positive behavior models.
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Louisiana Encourages Establishment of Evidence-Based Programs, H.B. 701
Tags: Louisiana | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
New legislation in Louisiana specifically authorizes commissioners of juvenile justice districts to enter into agreements to establish and maintain evidence-based programs for youth.
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Student Code of Conduct and Discipline Management Plan, Louisiana Recovery School District
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Key revisions to school code, which includes a more positive approach to youth and discipline.
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Louisiana Closes Abusive Jetson Correctional Center for Youth, Louisiana S.B. 749/Act 565
Tags: Louisiana | Deinstitutionalization | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
The Jetson Correctional Center for Youth, the site of widespread violence and the tragic death of a child who was just weeks away from his release, closed June 30, 2009.
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Positive School Culture: 2007-2008 Student Code of Conduct, Louisiana Recovery School District
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Revised Student Code of Conduct that includes a more positive approach to youth and discipline. The code reduces the amount of instructional time lost to unnecessary removals by reducing the number of school-based infractions that are "suspendable" and "expellable" and by increasing the use of school-based interventions and alternatives to suspension and expulsion. The code is now also aligned with the principles of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Supports and is infused with useful and family-friendly information for parents and students about their rights in the discipline process.
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Louisiana Improves School Expulsion Process, Louisiana S.B. 265/Act 385
Tags: Louisiana | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Alters laws relating to school expulsion to reduce their amount and duration and eliminate the practice of expelling students without providing alternative education.
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Louisiana Mandates Standards for Public Defenders, Louisiana, H.B. 436/Act 307
Tags: Louisiana | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
Mandates the Louisiana Public Defender Board to ensure the provision of uniform public defender services throughout the state.
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Treated Like Trash: Youth in Detention Before, During and After Hurricane Katrina, Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report following the journey taken by youth offenders in New Orleans post-Katrina. Report has three objectives: (1) to allow the children held at OPP to tell the story of what happened to them inside that prison before, during and after Hurricane Katrina; (2) to identify the institutional failures present long before the storm which allowed for these events to take place; and (3) to begin the discussion on how to reform the city's juvenile justice system.
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Juvenile Justice Reform Factbook for Louisiana's Leaders, Coalition for Effective Juvenile Justice Reform
Tags: Louisiana | General System Reform | Reports
Factbook about Louisiana's juvenile justice system. Includes a Platform for Effective Juvenile Justice Reform addressing the most critical steps needed to move the broken system toward reform.
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Louisiana Law Helps Ensure Education of Youth in Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Correctional Education | Legislation
Louisiana now allows students who are expelled from school for offenses involving weapons or controlled substances to attend alternative education programs. Such students were previously excluded from these programs. Law also now requires the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish provisions for agreements between school authorities and education service providers that ensure the education of students who are adjudicated delinquent, adjudicated in need of service, placed in a juvenile facility, assigned to a community based-program, or suspended or expelled for weapons or controlled dangerous substance offenses. These rules and regulations must provide for academic, behavioral, and mental health interventions that focus on positive reinforcement, mentoring, experiential learning, employability, and success in the community. H.B. 1209/Act No. 831, signed into law and effective June 14, 2012.