What We’re Fighting For
Our country’s system of youth incarceration is built on a legacy of slavery and racism — Louisiana is no different.
Advancing racial justice requires dismantling the youth prison model and replacing it with an investment in community and neighborhood-based solutions that promote racial equity.
Young people of all backgrounds and races engage in risky behavior at the same rates, but for youth of color, removing them from their families and locking them up in facilities or youth prisons is too often the first response.
In Louisiana, Black youth are seven times more likely than white youth to be incarcerated.
Louisiana’s youth’s prisons have a history of being among the worst in the country with frequent press coverage, public reports, and lawsuits addressing the abuse, violence, and human rights violations.
There is no evidence that youth prisons can effectively rehabilitate people; it actually increases the likelihood that they will end up in the adult criminal justice system. Prison makes it harder for young people to finish school, get jobs in the future, and build positive relationships that will help them become productive adults.
Instead of spending millions of dollars each year on a youth prison model that doesn’t work, state and local leaders must invest in our youth — especially our Black and brown youth who are disproportionately harmed by these systems
73% of Louisianans, across political parties, favor community-based programs over youth incarceration.
Most Lousianans agree that the current criminal justice system is failing our youth. There is broad support for reforming youth justice to include community based programs instead of incarceration.
A world exists without youth prisons.
Community-based programs are the best way to hold youth accountable, address their individual needs, and involve families, mentors, and trusted adults in the process.
Elected officials, including mayors and city council members, must listen to the communities and young people affected the most — our Black and brown youth — to help reimagine what justice looks like in their communities.
Our Mission
The Mission of the LA HOOP Coalition No More Prisons Campaign is to halt the rebuilding of the Swanson Center for Youth at Monroe, to close the privately run Ware Center for Youth.
This campaign seeks to abolish the further colonization of Black and Brown youth, while also providing youth, families, and other community stakeholders with a safe space to advocate on behalf of themselves, their community’s future, and equitable access to social resources.
We envision a world that no longer sees a need for juvenile prisons or detention centers by encouraging public advocacy, shifting colonial policies, and building strong, community coalitions.
In addition, we believe that youth have the ability to thrive and be liberated when given the opportunity to access community-based programming and resources.
By preventing the construction of future prisons, we hope to abolish youth incarceration and offer alternative solutions that provide them with the tools to become leaders and productive contributors in their community.
Our Demands
Release incarcerated youth due to heightened dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic in OJJ facilities.
Stop new youth prison construction at Swanson-Monroe and establish a moratorium on the construction of new youth prisons.
Work with youth and community leaders to create a plan to close the remaining youth prisons in the state.
End contract with Ware Youth Center girls facility.
Redirect resources from incarceration to investments in youth in their communities.
Center youth in discussions around alternatives towards the Criminal Justice system.
