The Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) is a cabinet-level

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

state agency that provides youth corrections services in the state. The full official title of the agency is Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Youth Services, Office of Juvenile Justice (DPSC/YS/OJJ).Home
" Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice. Retrieved on June 30, 2010. The agency has its headquarters in the first floor of the State Police Building in

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counti ...

. The agency's current head is E. Dustin Bickham.

History

The

Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections The Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C) (French: ) is a state law enforcement agency responsible for the incarceration of inmates and management of facilities at state prisons within the state of Louisiana. The agency is headquart ...

previously handled the care of juvenile prisoners. In 2003 the

Louisiana Legislature The Louisiana State Legislature (french: Législature d'État de Louisiane) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is a bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representa ...

voted to turn the department's juvenile division into a cabinet level agency.McGaughy, Lauren.
Louisiana juvenile justice official apologizes for those 'hurt' by Jetson Center closure

. '' New Orleans Times Picayune''. February 20, 2014. Retrieved on December 18, 2015. In 2004 the juvenile system separated from the adult system.History of Juvenile Justice in La.
Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice. Retrieved on September 23, 2010. It was established as the Office of Youth Development (OYD), and it was given its current name by the

in 2008.Jetson Center for Youth’s Residents Re-located to Other OJJ Secure Facilities Last Night

Archive
. Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice. January 26, 2014. Retrieved on December 17, 2015. Beginning with the creation of the OJJ, the agency adopted a model used by the Missouri Division of Youth Services, the youth corrections agency of Missouri. The OJJ worked together with that agency and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Institutions

The state operates three secure institutions for boys. Acadiana Center for Youth (ACY) in Bunkie, La The male institutions include: * Bridge City Center for Youth (BCCY) - Bridge City, ''

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

Jefferson Parish Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian f ...

** Riverside Alternative High School is located at BCCY. * A. L. Swanson, Sr. Center for Youth (SCY) - MonroeSwanson Center for Youth
" Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice. Retrieved on June 30, 2010. ** Southside Alternative High School is located at SCY. ** There is a branch center, Swanson Center for Youth at

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

, which opened in 2013 in the former Columbia Community Residential and Employment Services (CCRES) center for disabled persons. * Acadiana Center for Youth (ACY) - Bunkie ** Acadiana Center for youth opened in March 2019. Opening in phases, the facility is a state-of-the-art therapeutic facility that houses male offenders ages 13–21. The OJJ uses the Ware Youth Center by contract to house adjudicated secure girls in an "intensive residential" program.Girls Secure Care
." Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice. Retrieved on June 30, 2010. It is located in ''unincorporated''

Red River Parish Red River Parish ( French: ''Paroisse de la Rivière-Rouge'') is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,091, making it the fourth-least populous parish in Louisiana. Its seat is Coushatta. ...

, about from Coushatta.

Former institutions

Former male institutions: * Louis Jetson Center for Youth (JCY) - ''unincorporated'' East Baton Rouge Parish, near

and

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Si ...

Jetson Center for Youth
" Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice. Retrieved on June 30, 2010. It as previously referred to as "

Scotlandville Scotlandville is a community in northern Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was originally a small, independent rural community that developed along the Mississippi river in northern East Baton Rouge Parish. Only one African-American family lived in the vil ...

" after the nearby community. The facility closed abruptly in January 2014. All residents were moved to the other secure facilities in the early morning hours. *Tallulah Youth Center Previously girls were housed in the

Florida Parishes The Florida Parishes ( es, Parroquias de Florida, french: Paroisses de Floride), on the east side of the Mississippi River—an area also known as the Northshore or Northlake region—are eight List of parishes in Louisiana, parishes in the southe ...

Detention Center in Covington, and the Terrebonne Detention Center in Houma.Girls Secure Care

Archive
. Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice. May 5, 2009. Retrieved on December 19, 2015.

Non-Secure Programs

OJJ's philosophy is to match adjudicated youth to programs to meet their needs. Some youth, while not amenable to treatment in the community, are not a risk to public safety or in dire need of treatment in a secure environment. OJJ contracts with community treatment providers in non-secure, residential settings (group homes and therapeutic foster care) to place adjudicated youth into. These group homes are located in various places throughout the state.

Probation/Parole Services

OJJ is also tasked with the responsibility of providing probation and parole supervision for adjudicated youth throughout the state. There are 11 regional offices located in: Northern Region: * Shreveport * Tallulah * Monroe Southeast Region: * Thibodeaux * New Orleans * Hammond *Baton Rouge Central/Southwest Region: * Alexandria * Lake Charles * Lafayette (which had a satellite office in Opelousas up until 2016, when it closed and consolidated with Lafayette) * Natchitoches Probation and Parole Officers are Peace Officers and Standards Training certified (P.O.S.T) and have arresting authority in the state.

References

External links

Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice

Louisiana Office of Youth Development
(Archive)
Ware Youth Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice Government of Louisiana juvenile Juvenile detention centers in the United States

2004 establishments in Louisiana Government agencies established in 2004