Louisiana's governor offered a controversial solution this week following a slew of alarming headlines about mismanagement, violence, and frequent escapes from the state's juvenile lockups by temporarily moving teens in these facilities to the notorious Angola prison for adults, according to WDSU.
This caused outrage among youth advocates, lawyers, and experts in juvenile corrections, who said the governor's decision tramples modern principles of juvenile justice and could also lead to violations of federal law.
Glenn Holt, a former top official in Louisiana's juvenile justice system who now serves as the deputy director of Arkansas' juvenile justice agency, did not mince any words about the decision, labeling it as disgusting.
Edwards stresses that move to Angola is temporary
He told NBC News that moving kids to an adult maximum security prison campus, where you send adults to die, is the worst juvenile justice policy decision ever made.
Governor John Bel Edwards announced the decision on Tuesday, July 19, after a series of chaotic fights, breakouts, and injuries at the Bridge City Center for Youth near New Orleans.
These include an alleged carjacking by an escaped teen on Sunday, July 17, during which a man was shot. Residents in the surrounding community say they are now living in fear and have called for the juvenile facility to be shut down immediately.
Edwards, a Democrat, stressed at a news conference that the Angola move is temporary, aimed at reducing the population at the troubled Bridge City Center until more secure youth facilities can be built or renovated in Louisiana. He added, however, that the state has too many teens in its care to consider closing Bridge City entirely.
Edwards said he understands that this is not the perfect or the ideal plan, but he believes that the situation demands an immediate response, and this is the best option they currently have to ensure the safety of the youth, the staff, and the community.
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Federal law requires juveniles to be separated from adult prisoners
According to the governor, roughly 25 teens will be housed in a building near the entrance of the massive Angola prison as soon as next month, after some renovations. The said building will be staffed and overseen by the state's Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) employees.
Edwards said the teens would not have contact with adult inmates, and they will continue to receive all of the services they currently receive through OJJ, including education. Federal law requires that juveniles be separated from adult prisoners, by both sight and sound, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.
The goal of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate the youths so they can return to their communities and not punish them. Angola's 18,000 acres make it one of the world's largest prison campuses.
It has enough space between buildings, but advocates and experts questioned whether the state of Louisiana would be able to keep youths separate from adult prisoners.
