LOUISIANA PARTNERING WITH MISSOURI ON JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM

BATON ROUGE--Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today announced that Louisiana has an agreement with top Missouri juvenile correction officials to provide assistance in the state’s juvenile justice reform efforts. This move comes on the heels of a Missouri visit last week by members of Blanco’s administration.

“Louisiana must do a better job in serving the youth in our system,” said Governor Blanco. “We will benefit greatly from the assistance provided by Mark Steward, the director of the Missouri Division of Youth Services and his team. Everyone is most impressed with the way Missouri has transformed their program. We look forward to learning from their experiences.”

The Missouri team will specifically work with Louisiana’s officials and Department of Justice experts in establishing Louisiana’s transition plan - identifying additional short term changes that should be addressed as well as long term changes that must be made to enhance Louisiana’s system.

Missouri has been widely recognized for its success in rehabilitating youth and its low recidivism rate. That state began their reform efforts thirty years ago by focusing on building relationships with communities. Through a youth-focused treatment model, youth live in small dorm-like facilities and are supported by a strong workforce.

Last week Blanco sent her Commissioner of Administration, Jerry Luke LeBlanc along with her Director of Policy and Planning, Kim Hunter Reed, to see the Missouri program and to discuss partnership opportunities. That successful meeting led to today’s announcement and plans to have Missouri directly involved in Louisiana’s reform efforts.

Mark Steward, the father of Missouri’s reform efforts says he looks forward to helping the state, “I look forward to doing all I can to help Louisiana in their efforts to better serve the young people in their system. We have a historical prospective and a success story to share that will greatly assist this state in developing their own Louisiana model. It is imperative that reform is done right. This will take time but we are ready and willing to help.”

As a first step, Steward and his team will meet with Louisiana officials in early September to discuss changes in the system and tour the Louisiana secure care facilities to review changes and to identify critical next steps in the reform efforts.

Politics With a Punch--This Wednesday Night

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