Six south central Louisiana parishes are making plans for what could become a major solution to the state’s juvenile justice problems. The Jeff Davis Police Jury joined the movement when it called for support of legislation creating the Acadiana Regional Juvenile Justice District.

State Rep. Mike Huval, R-Breaux Bridge, and one of the Legislature’s innovative lawmakers, plans to introduce the juvenile justice district bill at the 2023 session beginning April 10.

Rep. Troy Romero, R-Jennings, said the district would include Jeff Davis, Acadia, Evangeline, Vermilion, St. Mary, and New Iberia parishes. Decisions from Allen and Beauregard parishes are pending.

“We know there is an issue with juvenile detention, and it costs you a tremendous amount of money,” Romero said. “This facility would hold them (juveniles) until their adjudication.”

The state has had major problems at its juvenile facilities. There have been dozens of escapes, riots, violent outbursts, and clashes between youth and guards in multiple state-run juvenile facilities.

The Advocate reported last October that state officials began to temporarily move some incarcerated youth from beleaguered state-run juvenile lockups across the state to a controversial facility on the grounds of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

Many have been critical of that plan and a federal lawsuit opposing it was filed by civil rights attorneys, advocates for youth, and former juvenile justice system officials.

Two juvenile justice advocates from the Stanford Law School and one from New Mexico condemned the Angola plan in a Sunday letter in the American Press. It was titled, “Louisiana youth deserve better than Angola.”

The three said, “Many other states — including Missouri, Utah, and New Mexico — have designed modern, effective juvenile justice systems that focus on interventions to strengthen children, families, and their communities, support real rehabilitation and make the public safer…”

What they are talking about appears to be exactly what the regional parishes have in mind. Legislators from those parishes have been meeting with judges, district attorneys, and law enforcement officials from throughout the district to discuss plans for the facility and how it would work.

Romero said those plans in the preliminary stage include location, number of beds, staff, and cost of the facility. The facility would be modeled after one in Hammond. Planners might also want to look at the Calcasieu Parish Office of Juvenile Justice Services that provides rehabilitative services and secure confinement for the parish’s juvenile offenders. It has been recognized nationally for its operations.

Romero said each parish would have a representative on the commission operating the regional facility. “It’s sorely needed,” he said, noting that Jeff Davis Parish currently spends about $10,000 per juvenile to house juveniles outside the area. “Those dollars could be saved by having this facility.”

Jennings City Court Judge Daniel Stretcher said the Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges has been looking at this issue for some time.

“It’s really an issue all around the state about this pre-adjudication place to hold these kids,” Stretcher said. “At one time there were facilities to hold them, but as time has gone on and the expenses involved in those facilities have increased and with the regulations that are required, we just don’t have any more, especially in rural areas.”

Mark D. Steward, director of the Missouri Youth Services Institute, explained last September why it is important to keep juvenile offenders closer to home.

“Ultimately, the purpose of the juvenile justice system is to help young people return to their home communities ready to lead healthy and productive lives,” Steward said. He said that is “virtually impossible” when keeping them in a place like Angola.

The regional facility under consideration in south central Louisiana is a long way from reality, so it won’t bring an immediate end to keeping juveniles at Angola. However, it’s a start in the right direction.

Other areas in Louisiana also lack the financial and other resources necessary to keep their incarcerated juveniles closer to home. They, too, could benefit by creating similar juvenile justice districts.

Many Louisiana legislators are talking about giving the state’s parishes more responsibility and ability to fund their own essential services. They have come to rely on too much state aid, a process that is more costly over the long term.

Allen and Beauregard parishes would be a perfect fit for the regional juvenile facility that the other six parishes are working to create. Funding would be less costly for each parish with eight of them involved.