Summary: Youth Prison Conditions Locking children away in juvenile prisons steals a piece of humanity from all of us. When we condone putting young people behind bars in desolate, violent institutions far from their homes and communities, we are complicit in the destruction of their childhood. Sadly, Louisiana has one of the highest rates of juvenile incarceration in the country and the overwhelming majority of the young people locked away are poor and Black. Nearly two-thirds are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses and many of the youth have special mental health needs that never received treatment. JJPL believes all children deserve a real chance at life. Placing young people in prisons not only deprives them of true opportunities for growth and healthy change, but puts communities at risk by failing to properly address why children are at risk in the first place.
