There are currently 17 teenagers — ranging in age from 15 to 17 — being held in the juvenile wing of the adult Orleans Justice Center, according to Blake Arcuri, general council for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. Meanwhile, there are 18 available beds at the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center, according to Rachel Gassert, the policy director for the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights. 

“I’m not sure why we’re here if we passed an ordinance that specifically dealt with this,” said a frustrated Councilwoman Kristin Palmer at a meeting of the Criminal Justice Committee. “There’s an ordinance that expressly states that children should not be incarcerated with adults, but we’re still doing it even though all the data says we shouldn’t and that we’re actually doing more harm to society as a whole.”

In 2015 and 2018, the City Council passed laws designating the Youth Study Center as the proper place to house juveniles being tried as adults. Then-Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell voted in favor of both. As mayor, Cantrell has recently advocated for a more punitive approach to juvenile crime, calling for strict curfew enforcement and the transfer of more juveniles facing adult charges to the adult jail. 

Credit by - The LENS

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