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YOUTH JUSTICE REFORM

GOAL:

Reform the Louisiana Juvenile Justice System to one that rehabilitates our youth and reduces the number of incarcerated youth following the evidenced-based Missouri Model which “seeks to narrow the pipeline of youth entering the system” and keep parents at the center of their children’s treatment.

Objective 1: Reduce the number of non-violent youth in secure-care by 50/2017

Objective 2: Ensure Act 1225 is being fully implemented

PROJECTS:

Advocacy Initiative is designed to help parents navigate the juvenile justice system before they are incarcerated by pushing for quality representation and/or alternatives to detention, and after they are incarcerated by ensuring children receive rehabilitation treatment, parents are kept at the center of that treatment and children receive the necessary reentry plans.

Support Groups provide the safe space necessary for families to hear from other parents who are going through the same situation and provide peer-to-peer support to each other.

Meeting of the Minds/Story Circles is designed to provide a space for FFLIC family members to develop equitable solutions by sharing stories with uninformed community members about how well-intentioned but ineffective and oppressive laws affect their communities.

Rearing Court-Involved Youth is designed to work with juvenile court and FINS to help parents struggling to raise children who are court-involved. This project has a three-pronged approach providing parents with individualized training, support and mentoring as a means to help parents keep children out of prison and at home.

Act 1225 Initiative: After passing the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2003 and closing the country’s most notorious prison the Tallulah Correctional Center for Youth, the Office of Juvenile Justice continues to struggle to transform our juvenile prison system to a rehabilitative model based on best practices and the Missouri Model. As a primary mover of this reform, FFLIC continues to fight for full implementation of Act 1225.

Alternatives to Detention Initiative: Knowing that it is more cost effective and that public safety will be achieved when children receive services in their community, FFLIC works to ensure that quality, evidence-based services are developed and utilized in the community and detention centers.

Transfer Initiative: In Louisiana 17-year olds can be automatically transferred to the adult system and children as young as 14 can be transferred. FFLIC is working to shed light on this injustice in hopes of bringing change to our laws and keeping children from entering the adult system before the age of 18 or 21 by supporting the Campaign for Youth Justice – Youth Justice Awareness Month (YJAM) annually in October with our 5k walk/run for justice.