Sep 24, 2022
Critics of mass incarceration are condemning a ruling handed down late Friday by a federal judge in Louisiana, who admitted the state's plan to send teenage inmates at a juvenile detention center to the notorious state penitentiary at Angola was "disturbing" even as she decided the plan could move forward.
Chief U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick ruled that the Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) can send two dozen children under the age of 18 from Bridge City Center for Youth, located outside New Orleans, to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, denying a motion brought by several law firms and the ACLU to halt the plan.
The plan was proposed by the OJJ after a series of escapes from the Bridge City Center, which were also used as the reasoning behind subjecting youths in the facility to solitary confinement earlier this year.
Dick said in her ruling that "locking children in cells at night at Angola is untenable" but that the state cannot tolerate "the threat of harm these youngsters present to themselves, and others."
\u201cA federal judge has ruled that children in Louisiana's juvenile detention facilities, some as young as 12-years-old, can be moved to Angola's former death row unit even though, the judge wrote, it "will likely have deleterious psychological ramifications."\u201d— Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg (@Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg) 1664024935
She also noted that some of the youths who may be sent to Angola are "traumatized and emotionally and psychologically disturbed" but suggested that the state prison, the largest maximum security prison in the U.S., can provide a more "secure care environment" for them.
Ahead of the ruling, the ACLU warned on Thursday that the plan is "unprecedented and dangerous."
\u201cMoving kids to the grounds of a maximum-security, adult prison is unprecedented and dangerous.\n\nGovernor Edwards must abandon this plan.\nhttps://t.co/D9nLgNyhoM\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1663882380
Plaintiffs in the case have accused the state of failing to take "ample opportunity to enact meaningful reforms that act in the best interest of our young people."
"Instead the state has continued to push forward unjust policies and actions that only further traumatize incarcerated youth, their families, and communities," said Gina Womack, co-founder and executive director of Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC), last month. "The move defies all common sense and best practices, and it will cause irrevocable damage to our youth and families."
\u201cWe must continue to demand justice for our youth. Punitive approaches harm our youth and do not make communities safer. We must invest in the solutions we know work: prevention, rehabilitation, and supports. #nokidsinangola \nhttps://t.co/NlCIFTSxe9\u201d— FFLIC (@FFLIC) 1663703605
According to a court filing by the ACLU, youths transferred to Angola will be held "in windowless cells with floor to ceiling metal bars."
Children at the Bridge City Center have been distraught over the possibility of being sent to Angola, The Appeal reported this week, with one 17-year-old suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder starting to "tear out his hair and to not be able to sleep," according to a statement filed in court by his mother.
"Louisiana is failing to protect youth in [its] juvenile justice system!" said Chelsea Maldonado, an investigative researcher for the podcast "Trapped in Treatment."
It was unclear Saturday when the transfers may take place.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Critics of mass incarceration are condemning a ruling handed down late Friday by a federal judge in Louisiana, who admitted the state's plan to send teenage inmates at a juvenile detention center to the notorious state penitentiary at Angola was "disturbing" even as she decided the plan could move forward.
Chief U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick ruled that the Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) can send two dozen children under the age of 18 from Bridge City Center for Youth, located outside New Orleans, to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, denying a motion brought by several law firms and the ACLU to halt the plan.
The plan was proposed by the OJJ after a series of escapes from the Bridge City Center, which were also used as the reasoning behind subjecting youths in the facility to solitary confinement earlier this year.
Dick said in her ruling that "locking children in cells at night at Angola is untenable" but that the state cannot tolerate "the threat of harm these youngsters present to themselves, and others."
\u201cA federal judge has ruled that children in Louisiana's juvenile detention facilities, some as young as 12-years-old, can be moved to Angola's former death row unit even though, the judge wrote, it "will likely have deleterious psychological ramifications."\u201d— Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg (@Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg) 1664024935
She also noted that some of the youths who may be sent to Angola are "traumatized and emotionally and psychologically disturbed" but suggested that the state prison, the largest maximum security prison in the U.S., can provide a more "secure care environment" for them.
Ahead of the ruling, the ACLU warned on Thursday that the plan is "unprecedented and dangerous."
\u201cMoving kids to the grounds of a maximum-security, adult prison is unprecedented and dangerous.\n\nGovernor Edwards must abandon this plan.\nhttps://t.co/D9nLgNyhoM\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1663882380
Plaintiffs in the case have accused the state of failing to take "ample opportunity to enact meaningful reforms that act in the best interest of our young people."
"Instead the state has continued to push forward unjust policies and actions that only further traumatize incarcerated youth, their families, and communities," said Gina Womack, co-founder and executive director of Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC), last month. "The move defies all common sense and best practices, and it will cause irrevocable damage to our youth and families."
\u201cWe must continue to demand justice for our youth. Punitive approaches harm our youth and do not make communities safer. We must invest in the solutions we know work: prevention, rehabilitation, and supports. #nokidsinangola \nhttps://t.co/NlCIFTSxe9\u201d— FFLIC (@FFLIC) 1663703605
According to a court filing by the ACLU, youths transferred to Angola will be held "in windowless cells with floor to ceiling metal bars."
Children at the Bridge City Center have been distraught over the possibility of being sent to Angola, The Appeal reported this week, with one 17-year-old suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder starting to "tear out his hair and to not be able to sleep," according to a statement filed in court by his mother.
"Louisiana is failing to protect youth in [its] juvenile justice system!" said Chelsea Maldonado, an investigative researcher for the podcast "Trapped in Treatment."
It was unclear Saturday when the transfers may take place.
From Your Site Articles
Critics of mass incarceration are condemning a ruling handed down late Friday by a federal judge in Louisiana, who admitted the state's plan to send teenage inmates at a juvenile detention center to the notorious state penitentiary at Angola was "disturbing" even as she decided the plan could move forward.
Chief U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick ruled that the Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) can send two dozen children under the age of 18 from Bridge City Center for Youth, located outside New Orleans, to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, denying a motion brought by several law firms and the ACLU to halt the plan.
The plan was proposed by the OJJ after a series of escapes from the Bridge City Center, which were also used as the reasoning behind subjecting youths in the facility to solitary confinement earlier this year.
Dick said in her ruling that "locking children in cells at night at Angola is untenable" but that the state cannot tolerate "the threat of harm these youngsters present to themselves, and others."
\u201cA federal judge has ruled that children in Louisiana's juvenile detention facilities, some as young as 12-years-old, can be moved to Angola's former death row unit even though, the judge wrote, it "will likely have deleterious psychological ramifications."\u201d— Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg (@Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg) 1664024935
She also noted that some of the youths who may be sent to Angola are "traumatized and emotionally and psychologically disturbed" but suggested that the state prison, the largest maximum security prison in the U.S., can provide a more "secure care environment" for them.
Ahead of the ruling, the ACLU warned on Thursday that the plan is "unprecedented and dangerous."
\u201cMoving kids to the grounds of a maximum-security, adult prison is unprecedented and dangerous.\n\nGovernor Edwards must abandon this plan.\nhttps://t.co/D9nLgNyhoM\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1663882380
Plaintiffs in the case have accused the state of failing to take "ample opportunity to enact meaningful reforms that act in the best interest of our young people."
"Instead the state has continued to push forward unjust policies and actions that only further traumatize incarcerated youth, their families, and communities," said Gina Womack, co-founder and executive director of Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC), last month. "The move defies all common sense and best practices, and it will cause irrevocable damage to our youth and families."
\u201cWe must continue to demand justice for our youth. Punitive approaches harm our youth and do not make communities safer. We must invest in the solutions we know work: prevention, rehabilitation, and supports. #nokidsinangola \nhttps://t.co/NlCIFTSxe9\u201d— FFLIC (@FFLIC) 1663703605
According to a court filing by the ACLU, youths transferred to Angola will be held "in windowless cells with floor to ceiling metal bars."
Children at the Bridge City Center have been distraught over the possibility of being sent to Angola, The Appeal reported this week, with one 17-year-old suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder starting to "tear out his hair and to not be able to sleep," according to a statement filed in court by his mother.
"Louisiana is failing to protect youth in [its] juvenile justice system!" said Chelsea Maldonado, an investigative researcher for the podcast "Trapped in Treatment."
It was unclear Saturday when the transfers may take place.
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.