Louisiana moves juveniles from adult penitentiary but continues to fight court order to do so
Louisiana officials say they have moved juvenile detainees from a former death row building at the state's sprawling adult penitentiary
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Juvenile detainees who were being held at a former death row building at Louisiana's adult penitentiary were transferred to a new facility in north Louisiana, state juvenile justice officials said Friday.
Friday was the deadline a federal judge had set for moving the youths from the prison at Angola in rural West Feliciana Parish. The state had won a temporary delay from a federal appeals court that was preparing to consider the case. The state said it would continue with its appeal, even while going ahead with the transfer.
The announcement from the Office of Juvenile Justice said the state found that a Jackson Parish juvenile facility that opened in July could accept the youths being held at Angola. They are to be housed there until work is completed on a new state facility in Monroe.
The number of youths involved in the transfer was not released.
Juvenile detainees and their advocates allege in a lawsuit that youths have been held in harmful conditions at the penitentiary. Although the juveniles have been segregated from adult prisoners since the temporary facility opened during the summer of 2022, they have suffered dangerous heat waves, extended confinement to their cells, foul water and inadequate schooling, according to the complaint.
Proponents have argued that the space is needed to house “high-risk” aggressive youths, many of whom have been involved in violent incidents at other detention facilities, and that locking them up at the adult prison keeps the community safe. Gov. John Bel Edwards had announced the transfer of youths to Angola after an escapee from a New Orleans area facility was accused in a carjacking and shooting before he was recaptured.
State officials have vehemently disagreed with plaintiff's claims, and some of U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick's findings, about conditions at the Angola facility.
“OJJ continues to disagree with the court’s ruling, which we believe contained several findings about the conditions at the West Feliciana Center for Youth that are at odds with the facts,” the statement said.
The transfer of youths to Angola was supposed to have been a short-term fix, with a goal of moving youths from Angola to a new secure facility in Monroe by spring 2023. However, the timeline has been pushed back to November.
___
AP reporter Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.