New Orleans Juvenile Justice

New Orleans Juvenile Justice

New Orleans Juvenile Justice

Juvenile justice is one of the contemporary issues recently addressed by many New Orleans news outlets. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell supported the New Orleans Police Department’s decision to start “strictly enforcing” a decades old law regarding juvenile curfew with a 9:00 P.M. cut off time during the week and 11:00 P.M. during the weekend with the curfew being lifted daily at 6:00 am.

The city will also access a fine to the juvenile’s parents of up to $500.00 and possible misdemeanor charges in municipal court. The juvenile will be considered in “protective custody,” and taken to Covenant House until their parents can pick them up.

Meanwhile, Individuals who have worked alongside New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on adolescent equity issues are attempting to comprehend why she has all the earmarks of taking an undeniably firm stance on adolescent wrongdoing after molding herself as a dynamic policymaker in previous years.  There are cases where six juveniles who were prosecuted as adults were moved to the New Orleans adults’ prison, perhaps disregarding an ordinance Mayor Cantrell voted in favor of as a council member.

Looking back at the issues reported in 2014, Mayor Cantrell co-supported a measure on the City Council to contemplate whether there were options in contrast to holding youths at the city’s adult’s prison (McShane and Cavanaugh, 2015). The Orleans Justice Center, at that point voted in favor of a mandate in 2015 that assigned the juvenile Study Center as the “suitable office” for the pre-preliminary detainment of the juveniles. Cantrell’s administration has not said whether it is summoning a segment of that mandate that permits special cases when the 48-bed Youth Study Center is “filled.”

References

“Mayor Cantrell’s ‘retreat’ on juvenile justice surprises officials, advocates”  WWW.NOLA.COM

McShane, M. D., & Cavanaugh, M. (Eds.). (2015). Understanding juvenile justice and delinquency. ABC-CLIO.

If you or a loved one is facing criminal prosecution, do not hesitate to contact us so that our experienced legal team can help you navigate this intricate and complicated issue.