This site is intended to educate the public on broad social, political and economic issues affecting low-income families. Comments made by readers herein do not represent the views or positions of the Marguerite Casey Foundation or Equal Voice, America’s Family Story, and do not constitute a recommendation for or against any specific candidate, legislation, or legislative proposal.

Users must refrain from making or posting comments that may constitute or could be viewed as lobbying or political campaigning under the U.S. federal tax laws. In addition, users must refrain from making or posting vulgar, obscene, threatening or abusive comments on this site. The website moderator reserves the right in its sole discretion, but not the responsibility, to delete or edit any user submission to this site, and/or to bar the participation by anyone who it reasonably believes to have violated these principles. Complete rules of conduct for this site are contained in the Term of Use

Friday, June 19, 2009

Focus on juvenile-justice reform

The Louisiana Legislature is currently considering a number of measures that would change the way our juvenile justice system works. Some would change the way parole is addressed for juvenile offenders. Some would change the way juvenile offenders are treated in secure care facilities.


One of particular note would take a first step toward refocusing efforts on community programs addressing both public safety and effective treatment, rather than on the costly incarceration of youth. This is an example of the direction our state needs to take in order to properly serve our youth. Early intervention is a key factor in keeping low-risk youth from becoming juvenile offenders. Investing in and expanding the use of evidence-based programs provide improved outcomes for youth and communities throughout Louisiana while protecting public safety.

Read More

No comments: