Associated Press - February 18, 2010 8:54 AM ET
COLUMBIA, La. (AP) - The Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice says a former home for the developmentally disabled is to become a moderate-security juvenile jail.
Juvenile Justice Secretary Mary Livers says the facility in Columbia will hold up to 48 youths and employ 43 staffers, starting next year.
A news release says it won't get the most violent youths.
After reports of violence and abuse in juvenile correctional centers, the Legislature voted in 2004 to stop warehousing youth offenders in huge, lockdown prisons. It called for a move to facilities closer to the youths' homes, with smaller populations, more staff, and security that better reflects the broad range of juvenile offenses.
Information from: The News-Star, http://www.thenewsstar.com
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
