Despite some rainy conditions, last Wednesday, we were greeted by community with a standing room only youth justice town hall! We can’t thank our thoughtful and supportive partners at Daughters Beyond Incarceration, our selfless and audacious panelists, and everyone in attendance enough for making this event such a success! February’s special session on crime and public safety – followed by this year’s legislative session – provided a potential outlook for how children across our state should be seen, viewed, and treated. However, we know that when we both center and listen to youth voices, they will adamantly tell us what they need in order to thrive in their homes, schools, and communities. 

It's been another big year for LCCR. We served more than 700 kids between New Orleans and East Baton Rouge, rolled out our new Second Chances Youth Reentry Project, scored two legislative wins on the vital records front, and welcomed CJ McCollum for a visit. Click here to read all about what your support helped us achieve in FY 2024.

In February, the state legislature gathered for a special session aimed at decreasing “surging” crime. Children were a specific target of this session, which saw a repeal of the Raise the Age law. Louisiana is now the first state ever to roll back this reform and return to prosecuting all 17-year-old children as adults.

WOW! Just Wow! On March 21, LCCR welcomed more than 230 guests to our annual Celebration for Children’s Rights event. Collectively, we raised a record-smashing $106,483 to fund our work with arrested and incarcerated youth in Louisiana. We can think of no better way to spend a beautiful (if slightly rainy) spring evening than to come together with so many of our friends and supporters. Thank you for joining us and making this our biggest Celebration ever!

Join us on Thursday, March 21st at our annual benefit event -- the Celebration for Children’s Rights -- as we celebrate our successes and come together to make Louisiana a better place for all children. We will also be presenting our Calogero Champion of Justice Award to Ubuntu Village for its incredible work helping families advocate for themselves and their children in New Orleans’ juvenile legal system.

Shon Williams has worked at LCCR the past five years, and prior to that, he was incarcerated for 26 years for a crime he committed as a teenager. As our new Reentry Specialist, Shon is now using that lived experience to guide young people through their first steps back into the community after leaving prison.

CJ McCollum, the Pelicans’ starting shooting guard and president of the National Basketball Player Association, stopped by LCCR's office and the city's juvenile jail to learn more about the juvenile legal system landscape in New Orleans. Here's what McCollum says he learned through his visit with our staff and New Orleans' incarcerated youth.

In September, a judge ordered the removal of incarcerated youth from Angola. Shortly after, the state announced it would end its contract with the Ware Youth Center. While we support both these moves, we remain concerned about conditions for Louisiana's incarcerated youth.

For generations, the U.S. has overly relied on prosecution and incarceration as the primary forms of accountability, but with lackluster results. Given the high cost and poor track record of punitive punishments, LCCR and other advocates are pushing for alternatives to the traditional prosecution and incarceration routes. Today we explore the concept of Credible Messengers.

It's been another huge year for LCCR. We served more than 600 kids between New Orleans and East Baton Rouge, defended against a rollback of the Raise the Age law, and welcomed Kristen Rome to the Co-Executive Director role. Click here to read all about what your support helped us achieve in FY 2023.