Black youth are four times more likely to be detained or committed to juvenile facilities than their white peers, according to the Sentencing Project. “In Baton Rouge, we have a population that is roughly half and half Black and white. One might expect maybe disparate impact on the population maybe you would have 75 percent who…
Two teens held at a new juvenile lockup in a former death row building at Angola said in court filings that youth there have been pepper sprayed, held in solitary confinement for hours with breaks only for showers and regularly had aggressive run-ins with Department of Corrections guards. read the full article here
The state is attempting to deny advocates from seeking information about the conditions and services being provided to the kids held in the Angola facility. This denial of access is a pattern of behavior from OJJ. Aaron Clark Rizzio, LCCR Co-Executive director states “All of our clients and their families understand the message that OJJ…