Published: May 18, 2022
By: Piper Hutchinson, LSU Manship School News Service
BATON ROUGE –The House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice Wednesday advanced two bills without objection that relate to juvenile justice.
Senate Bill 323, sponsored by Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, would require the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections to adopt rules that would sort juvenile offenders into low, medium and high-risk categories based on medical, educational and psychological assessments.
The tiered system could then be used to segregate high-risk juveniles as a safety precaution.
The bill comes after a series of escapes and violent actions at the state’s juvenile facilities. The facilities are in Bridge City, Monroe, Columbia, Bunkie and St. Martinville.
Cloud said that under current policies, a 20-year-old violent offender could be sleeping in the same dormitory as a 14-year-old convicted of property crimes.
“As a parent, that should activate us and should greatly concern us,” Cloud said.
Read more at KATC
LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 