Louisiana

The Youth Opportunity Center (YOC) is a joint initiative of the Recovery School District and the Orleans Parish School Board, the two entities overseeing public education in New Orleans. The Center serves students who are truant or chronically absent, are involved in the juvenile or criminal justice systems, are dealing with significant behavioral health challenges, have been discharged from psychiatric facilities, or have received multiple referrals from the student hearing office. Referrals are made from schools, secure care facilities, juvenile detention centers, psychiatric

Integrating Post-Secondary Options, Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings Youth Study Center School

CEEAS opened a new school in the New Orleans YSC facility in 2016. They have previously worked on nationwide curricular programs for schools in juvenile justice facilities, and fought to ensure youth in detention are eligible for Pell Grants to receive higher education.

Youth Study Center School

In the fall of 2016, The Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings opened a new school inside of the New Orleans Youth Study Center, a juvenile detention center.

Educational Accountability and Rehabilitation Act

In 2016, Louisiana enacted the Educational Accountability and Rehabilitation Act to include standards for oversight, accountability, and quality control of educational services within juvenile justice facilities. This act, which amends a portion of the previously existing Children’s Code of Louisiana, allows for the development of a specialized school performance score calculation system and school report card to use in assessing student achievement in juvenile justice schools.

Youth Empowerment Project (YEP), Youth Futures Initiative (YFI)

The Youth Futures Initiative (YFI) is a new wrap-around case management and youth advocacy program of the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP). This program focuses on longer-term education and job prospects and helps youth currently or formerly involved with the juvenile justice system transition into adulthood. The program involves intensive case management and mentoring services, and matches youth participants with an adult Youth Advocate. These Youth Advocates help develop individualized service plans on seven components, one of which is education.

Juvenile Justice Youth Leadership Council (JJYLC) at the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights (LCCR)

The JJYLC is a collective of passionate, committed and diverse young leaders who share a common goal of alleviating injustices within Louisiana’s juvenile justice system.

Second Chances Project, Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights (LCCR)

The Second Chances Project of the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights (LCCR) was founded on the premise that too often young people in Louisiana’s juvenile prisons do not have access to advocates who can help them make their case for rehabilitation and release. The Second Chances Project advocates for youth in Jefferson, St.

Community Reintegration Program by the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP)

The Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) works as a contractor for the state parole office providing youth returning from juvenile justice placement with reintegration services to help them adjust back to their communities. Each young person is assigned a youth advocate, who is from their same neighborhood and will provide wrap-around case management services. The youth advocates maintain small 10-12 person caseloads and meet with each client 3-5 times each week.