- Louisiana has one of the highest rates of juveniles in jails and group homes in the US — 582 per 100,000 residents. There are currently 6,021 youths under the supervision of the Department of Corrections, with 540 in youth prisons and 762 in non-secure care (i.e., group homes).
- Louisiana spends more than 52 million dollars per year in sustaining its youth prisons, spending at each facility nearly 45% on security, while only 16% on rehabilitation and education.
- There are three juvenile prisons in Louisiana which hold large numbers of youth. The large sizes of these facilities have fostered unsafe and inhumane conditions at these prisons, which have resulted in lawsuits filed against the State.
- African-American youth are overrepresented among Louisiana’s incarcerated youth, as the vast majority of youth locked up are African-American (78%), and yet African-Americans make up only one third of Louisiana’s population. Additionally, White youth are more likely to receive probation or non-secure care than African-American youths adjudicated of delinquent offenses.
- Federal studies suggest that as many as 60-75% of incarcerated youth have a mental health disorder, 20% having a severe disorder. Investigations conducted by the Department of Justice suggest similarly high numbers in Louisiana.
- Louisiana taxpayers spend $96,713 to incarcerate a single child, and $6,021 to educate a child in the public schools.
- The bulk of Louisiana’s incarcerated youths have been sentenced to prison for non-violent offenses (78%).
- Nearly 60% of Louisiana’s incarcerated youth have been given maximum sentences of three years or more, 16% sentenced for five years or more. At the very least, a third of youth in prison have been sentenced to three or more years for non-violent offenses.
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