BRIDGE CITY, La. — A federal trial to decide whether juvenile offenders from the Bridge City Center for Youth can be sent to Angola wrapped up on Thursday after three days of testimony.
A federal judge in Baton Rouge heard from state officials along with youth justice advocates who have raised concerns about the potential transfer. The Office of Juvenile Justice is preparing a building on the grounds of the state penitentiary for violent young offenders.
In July the state announced those responsible for a string of jail breaks and other violent acts at the Bridge City facility would be housed there.
“The bad actors need to get out of the way and let the juvenile justice system try to reform those who want to be reformed or those who show some interest in being reformed,” Sen. Pat Connick, R-Marrero said.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of a 17-year-old inmate claims youth in adult facilities are more likely to commit suicide, more likely to suffer from sexual assault and trauma and more likely to experience mental health challenges.
“We’re supposed to just close our eyes and accept the fact that we’re going to take kids from a juvenile facility and shove them to the Louisiana State Penitentiary,” one of the inmate’s attorneys Ronald Haley told WBRZ-TV.
Wednesday, the plaintiffs showed a video in court of what the facility looks like. The juveniles would be housed on to a cell at the converted death row building at Angola.
“I think the message to these juveniles, if you cause trouble, you cause riots, you escape, that’s where you’re going to go, to Angola and you won’t have the freedom that you have in these dormitory-style settings that allow you to cause chaos and disrupt the entire facility,” Connick said.
OJJ officials testified the building planned for juveniles is more than a mile away from living quarters for adult inmates.
“It doesn’t matter if the closest adult camp is a mile and a half away, what they know is they are going to big boy jail at that point in time and the risk associated with that,” Haley said.
Judge Shelly Dick announced she would issue a written ruling by September 23. The state agreed not to transfer any juvenile inmates to Angola before the judge's ruling.