Governor Jeff Landry addressed the Monroe Chamber of Commerce to discuss the allocation of $100 million to juvenile justice funding in Louisiana. The funding is intended to expand the capacity of juvenile detention centers, providing necessary resources for rehabilitation and reintegration of young offenders into society and keep the out of adult incarceration.
Governor Landry said, "It's not going to happen overnight." Landry said as we expand the centers, "We are going to require those centers have educational opportunities for those who are incarcerated in there."
In addition, new laws have been introduced to allow 17-year-olds to be charged as adults for certain serious crimes, aiming to address the rising levels of violent crime among teenagers. These initiatives reflect the state's commitment to balancing public safety with a more effective approach to juvenile justice, with the goal of reducing crime while offering better opportunities for rehabilitation.
About raising the age Governor Landry said, "Correcting the age is going to bring us to a path of peace inside of communities that are seeing the greatest amounts of violence."