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| Commission Recommends Closing La. Juvenile Prison |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 01/28/2003 |
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Louisiana must shut down one juvenile prison and open up a new state children's agency if problems in its juvenile justice system are to be solved, a legislative commission was told Monday. Joseph Liu, of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, told members of the Juvenile Justice Commission that shutting down one of the state's four juvenile prisons would save money that could go toward small, local counseling centers that are far more effective at rehabilitating errant youths. As long as all four prisons remain open, too many teenagers will be sentenced to prison terms, turning them more violent and more likely to break the law after they're released, Liu said. 'If you're paying for officers, paying for the facility, the system will find a way to fill those beds, fill those slots,' Liu said 'The system will just continue to expand without limits.' The Casey Foundation was hired as part of the state's drive to find ways to reduce the number of teenagers behind bars. Liu said his research found Louisiana's system punishes blacks far more harshly than whites, and offers juvenile court judges few options for punishment other than incarceration. The commission also created an advisory board to issue recommendations on how to improve care given to children in state custody. Gwen Hamilton, head of the advisory board, told the commission Monday that a new state agency, the Office of Children, Youth and Families, should take control of responsibilities now handled by the Department of Social Services, the Department of Health and Hospitals and the Office of Youth Services. The new office would oversee care for all children under state supervision, ensuring the youths are in the 'most appropriate, least restrictive' settings, said Hamilton, who is secretary of DSS. The advisory board recommended a legislative committee be appointed to develop a plan for the new office within a year. The advisory board has held more than a dozen public hearings on juvenile justice around the state and delivered its final recommendations to the Juvenile Justice Commission on Monday. Members of the advisory board included social service workers, juvenile court judges and prosecutors. The commission will issue a report on its recommendations to the Legislature, the state Supreme Court and the governor's office. Richard Stalder, secretary of the Department of Corrections, testified Monday that closing a juvenile prison would merely force his agency to move inmates into other facilities, causing overcrowding and violence. He told commission members that a prison could be closed within four years, but not in a year. |
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