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.

LCCR has started a book club for the children incarcerated at the New Orleans juvenile jail. Through it, kids are choosing the books we read and leading the group discussions. Incarceration may restrict a young person’s body, but books allow their mind to be free.

We first met “Campbell” as a 10th grader arrested on a simple burglary charge. After the devastating loss of his older brother, Campbell ran into trouble in school, resulting in his expulsion. When his school district gave up on him, his mother came to us for help. Here’s how we got Campbell back on track.

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.

We first met “Renisha” as a 12th grader with a three-year-old little boy of her own. She had been arrested on charges of aggravated assault, which threatened to upend her and her child's lives. She wanted more than anything to give her son the stable life that she never had herself. Here's how LCCR helped.

Children incarcerated on the former death row unit of Louisiana’s Angola prison were locked in their cells without air conditioning for several days this month amid scorching summer temperatures, according to a teenager held at the facility. The child, identified by the pseudonym Charles C., said in a statement to his attorney that the kids were only let out […]

It was on a late spring day when Amanda Schroeder finally received the report she had been hoping for. A student she’d been working with as a social worker for the nonprofit Communities in Schools had successfully passed the 7th grade. Normally, this wouldn’t be a particularly remarkable moment, but this child’s situation was anything but […]

Our friends at The Sentencing Project recently released an incredible new report that we wanted to bring to your attention - Why Youth Incarceration Fails: An Updated Review of the Evidence. We absolutely recommend giving this report a full read. However, we also acknowledge that not everyone has the time to take such a deep dive. As such, we wanted to provide this brief overview of the report's key findings and recommendations.

“Jerome” is an 11th grader who was arrested for carrying a weapon for protection. When his LCCR team first met him, Jerome was quiet, timid, and very scared. Over time, he grew to become very communicative about his needs, even while exhibiting grief and trauma. He badly wants a different life for himself and his family. Here's how we helped.