State Officials Discuss Conditions at Jetson Correctional Center
We've reported possible rape, escape, and abuse at Jetson Correctional Center. Now, legislators are taking notice. They might even shut down the facility for good. WAFB Capital Correspondent Caroline Moses has the story.
The Juvenile Justice Commission has been working since 2003. Their goal is make sure youth correction facilities, like Jetson, actually work. It seems to us that there are some concerns about Jetson Correctional Facility," says State Senator Don Cravins, Jr. Just in the last month, there've been allegations of rape, assault, and gang fights at Jetson. The allegations were made by both juveniles and workers.
"Jetson is a very large facility, geographically. From that, makes it more difficult to manage than Bridge City and Swanson because more compact campuses," says Simon Gonsoulin with the Office of Youth Development. Jetson houses about 200 juveniles. The juveniles are divided into groups, but Gonsoulin says those groups need to be much smaller, the environment needs to be more therapeutic, and less institution-like. "Until we build secure care centers on a regional basis, the demand is there for secure cares," he says.
They want to copy Missouri's juvenile justice system, transforming places like Jetson into more community-integrated facilities. "If that doesn't happen and I think we have to have a date certain, then I think we may have to re-think the whole Jetson thing altogether," State Senator Cravins says. "Is Jetson irrespective of how well-run or operated or how well people doing the system, just a bad idea that we have to move out of?" asks Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu.
Gonsoulin says not yet. He says until they can open more facilities and train more staff, they still need Jetson. "It is going to take a decade to get it done, a lot to get it done," Gonsoulin adds. He says Jetson has to first get rid of the rough reputation, so they can attract more willing workers. The Juvenile Justice Commission meets again in December. They do not want Jetson to become the next Tallulah, so they've given staff there until December to shape-up or ship out.
Reporter: Caroline Moses, WAFB 9NEWS
