KIDS DON'T BELONG IN AMERICA'S WORST PRISON!

Last year, the Governor began moving youth who are the most in need of support and services to a former death row unit in an adult prison and former plantation for enslaved Africans: Angola. Advocates and youth justice experts predicted the trauma and harm that would come from housing youth at one of the nation's most inhumane facilities. It’s been devastating to see those predictions come true. We now know children in the prison have been subjected to:
- Extreme heat in cells with no windows or air conditioning.
- Solitary confinement for 72 hours upon arrival.
- Handcuffs and shackles while showering.
- No schooling or needed mental health services.

That's why advocates have come together to demand an end to this nightmare scenario. Our leaders must shut down Angola and instead recommit to its promise to transform the youth justice system into a holistic model of care and support!

We urge you to join our fight for children’s rights by signing this petition demanding that Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards:

· Immediately release all children from Angola State Prison. Housing youth in the same facilities as adult inmates is in violation of children’s human rights and safety.

· Investigate the Office of Juvenile Justice’s failures to keep children safe in their custody.

· Call a special meeting of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act Implementation Commission (JJRAIC) to review alternative options and hear from youth justice experts.

· Place a moratorium on OJJ expenditures for the building or renovation of new, existing, or repurposed facilities and immediately downsize prison populations by initiating the removal of youth, especially those held for non-violent offenses.

· Commit to bringing in national experts provided by the JJRAIC Chair and Vice Chair to help assess our needs and develop an appropriate plan of action.

· Invest in and ensure access to education and holistic rehabilitative services for children rather than increasingly harsh punitive measures that escalate state violence against youth.

· Recommit to the evidence-based models that support youth rehabilitation, education, and wellbeing such as the Missouri Model.

· Commit to banning authorized use of force including pepper spray and tasers.

· Ban the use of solitary confinement for children.