Legislation would set standard for juvenile detention
by Matthew Hamilton - News Star (excerpt)

The Louisiana Legislature has passed a bill that would set standards for juvenile detention facilities, one of the long-deferred promises from the state's landmark juvenile justice reform legislation.

House Bill 1477, introduced by Rep. Damon Baldone, D-Houma, and passed by the state Senate last week, would establish statewide standards for the safety and secure custody of juveniles while they await a court's decision on their case. The bill directs the Louisiana Juvenile Detention Association to conform with nationally recognized standards and best practices. Detention facilities around the state would uniformly run their day-to-day operations, hire and train staff, according to certain qualifications, and maintain a staff-to-child ratio.

The legislation creates a task force that would guide the creation of the standards. The task force is composed of the Louisiana Public Defender Board, Louisiana District Attorney's Association, Louisiana Department of Social Services, Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, Louisiana Sheriff's Association, Office of Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana and the MacArthur Foundation's Louisiana Models for Change.