Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana 1600 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70133

JJPL’s mission is to transform the juvenile justice system into one that builds on the strengths of young people, families and communities to ensure children are given the greatest opportunities to grow and thrive. We have three key program objectives to achieve this mission: to reduce the number of children in secure care and abolish…

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Department says three teenage inmates at the Bridge City Center for Youth trapped an employee inside their dorm, manhandled her and threatening her with rape. Read the full article

BRIDGE CITY, La.– On the heels of an attack on a juvenile justice specialist, there are new calls for reforming how the state deals with young offenders. The incident last week at the Bridge City Center for Youth involved several male juvenile inmates “manhandling” a female juvenile justice specialist. It is just the latest troubling…

  Op-ed published in the Times-Picayune on January 18, 2012   The topic of extending the juvenile curfew in New Orleans has received significant attention — with strong opinions on both sides of the issue and local and national media paying close attention to the unfolding debate.  The City Council voted to lower the curfew…

As JJPL has shared in the past, Christi Cheramie was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release in June 1994, when she was 16 years old.  She pled guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of her fiance’s great aunt, Mildred Turnage, in February 1994.  By pleading guilty to the murder charge…

January brought a host of law interns to JJPL’s offices to provide much-needed legal work. The first week of January JJPL staff worked side by side with students from American University’s Washington College of Law as well as with students from CUNY School of Law. The second week brought interns from the University of Illinois…

JJPL staff member, Kelly Orians is spending the next six months traveling around the world before starting law school and has started a blog, Trekking for Second Chances, to document her journey as well as raise money for ending juvenile life without parole.  Read her first blog entry: December 22, 2011 One week from today…