KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, LouisianaMitch Landrieu talks juvenile justice reform

Mitch Landrieu talks juvenile justice reform

By Theresa Schmidt

There's concern about budget cuts that could hurt the fight against juvenile crime.   The Governor Bobby Jindal's proposed budget calls for an $11 million cut in juvenile justice. Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu says that's a bad idea.  

Juvenile justice is one area where those working for reform are proud of the progress Louisiana has made. Landrieu has been involved in reforming the system for a number of years. He told those attending the 28th Governor's Conference on Juvenile Justice at L'auberge du Lac  that he's concerned about what the future may bring. "This year's executive budget has an $11 million dollar decrease in it, so many of us who have been pushing juvenile justice reform are really concerned about our ability to keep pace and to continue to do the great work that we've done in the past. And this effort was ironically one of the efforts that was at the top in the nation. The country has been watching the work that we've been doing in juvenile justice and now is not the time to go backwards, it's the time to go forward." 

Landrieu says he hopes the legislature will restore proposed cuts. Areas of reform include making sure children in trouble with the law get the right treatment that Landrieu says will keep people safe and save tax dollars once kids are on the right track. "Public safety's the most important thing but historically in Louisiana we've spent much more money on incarceration and that we have on rehabilitation and actually put in jail the kids that need to be put in jail. So the whole system didn't work."

 Calcasieu First Assistant D.A. Ronnie Rossitto agrees some kids are dangerous and need to be kept locked up. But he says more resources are needed for those who can be helped. "We would like to see an increase in the number of resources for substance abuse treatment, for mental health treatment, for sex offender treatment, for our kids to prevent them from being rather than having them be in secure care and having to lock them all up."

Rossitto says prevention is a key part strategy in the local effort to help turn around troubled youth.

In response to concerns about the proposed $11 million dollar budget cut, a spokesman for the governor says it does not represent a cut in services.

Michael Diresto says they eliminated positions that had been mostly vacant, but for which $8.5 million dollars had been earmarked.  And Diresto says $4 million eliminated from the budget amounted to a one time expense.