Deinstitutionalization Efforts in Louisiana (From Neither Angels nor Thieves - Studies in Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders, P 296-334, 1982, Joel F Handler and Julie Zatz, ed. - See NCJ-84933)

• NCJ Number: 84941
• Author(s): J F Sheley; S L Nock
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 39 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; National Academies Press
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Available on microfiche as NCJ-84933

Annotation

Louisiana's response to recent national trends toward the deinstitutionalization of status offenders, with attention to the impact of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), is discussed.

Abstract

Conclusions based on the findings are necessarily tempered by the uneven quality of information. Louisiana's deinstitutionalization efforts date from 1978. Although the origins of these efforts can be traced to events in 1974, deinstitutionalization laws did not actually take full effect until July 1978, and the full significance of those laws was not appreciated until the Code of Juvenile Procedure became effective in January 1979. The success or failure of Louisiana's deinstitutionalization efforts cannot be analyzed for at least 3 years. Despite the forces working against deinstitutionalization, compliance with deinstitutionalization laws appears high in the State. Despite the evidence of good intentions, however, it is not yet clear whether alternative services or shelter care facilities will materialize. If the intention of the JJDPA mandate was to remove status offenders from the courts, then this goal may soon be achieved in Louisiana; however, the State is frustrated by the costs of alternative services, and planners are perplexed by a dearth of specific plans for creating alternatives. Lacking alternatives, the juvenile justice system is likely to be unable to serve a growing number of juveniles. Tabular data on status offenders in Louisiana are provided, along with nine references. (Author summary modified)