Louisiana Juvenile Detention Center Lawsuit Settlements

The Louisiana juvenile justice system has long been plagued by sexual abuse, neglect, and inhumane treatment of the children in its care. From physical and sexual abuse by staff to illegal solitary confinement and inadequate medical care, these facilities have subjected vulnerable youth to traumatizing conditions that violate their rights. Numerous lawsuits and investigations have shed light on the systemic failures within Louisiana’s juvenile detention centers, and survivors are now stepping forward to demand accountability.

The crisis within Louisiana’s juvenile detention system is not a new development but rather the result of decades of systemic failures, mismanagement, and an entrenched culture of neglect and abuse. The state’s juvenile justice facilities have been repeatedly criticized for subjecting children to inhumane treatment, failing to provide necessary rehabilitation services, and operating with little transparency or accountability. Reports of excessive force, sexual abuse, solitary confinement, and denial of medical and mental health care have surfaced across multiple facilities, painting a disturbing picture of a system that prioritizes punishment over rehabilitation. For years, advocacy groups and legal experts have sounded the alarm, urging Louisiana officials to take action.  But meaningful reforms have been slow to materialize. It is has been two steps forward, two steps back,  leaving thousands of vulnerable children still at risk.

If you or a loved one has suffered abuse in a Louisiana juvenile detention center or residential treatment facility, you have legal options. Our firm is committed to holding institutions accountable for their failures to protect children and ensuring that survivors receive the justice and settlement compensation they deserve. Contact us today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online.

A System Plagued by Abuse and Neglect

The crisis within Louisiana’s juvenile detention system is not a new development but rather the result of decades of systemic failures, mismanagement, and an entrenched culture of neglect and abuse. The state’s juvenile justice facilities have been repeatedly criticized for subjecting children to inhumane treatment, failing to provide necessary rehabilitation services, and operating with little transparency or accountability. Reports of excessive force, sexual abuse, solitary confinement, and denial of medical and mental health care have surfaced across multiple facilities, painting a disturbing picture of a system that prioritizes punishment over rehabilitation. Advocacy groups and legal experts have sounded the alarm for years, urging Louisiana officials to act. However, meaningful reforms have been slow to materialize, leaving thousands of vulnerable children at risk.

Even today, Louisiana’s juvenile justice system continues to operate in a manner that fails to protect the rights and well-being of the youth in its care. Without meaningful oversight, accountability, and a shift toward a rehabilitative rather than punitive model, the state risks perpetuating a cycle of trauma and neglect that will have long-lasting consequences for the children it is supposed to serve.

Reports and lawsuits against Louisiana juvenile detention centers have exposed a shocking pattern of abuse, including:

• Physical Abuse: Guards have been accused of beating, choking, and restraining children in violation of state and federal laws.
• Sexual Abuse: Staff members and fellow detainees have been implicated in sexual assaults, often with institutional cover-ups that allowed the abuse to continue.
• Solitary Confinement: In some facilities, children were shackled, locked in cells for 23 hours a day, and denied education and mental health care.
• Failure to Report Abuse: Detention centers have ignored or inadequately responded to reports of sexual and physical abuse, violating the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) and other legal protections.
• Inadequate Medical and Mental Health Care: Children with mental health conditions have been left untreated, increasing the risk of self-harm and suicide.

These abuses are not isolated incidents. A New York Times investigation in October 2022 exposed widespread misconduct at Ware Youth Center, where staff allegedly bribed children with food to attack other detainees, forced them into sexual abuse for phone privileges, and failed to protect them from physical violence.

Similarly, at Acadiana Center for Youth, reports revealed that children were shackled, locked in their cells for weeks, and denied education, in direct violation of constitutional protections. NBC News described the facility’s conditions as “inhumane,” and legal experts have compared these actions to cruel and unusual punishment.

Lawsuits Holding Institutions Accountable

Survivors and their families have taken legal action against Louisiana juvenile detention centers, seeking justice for physical, emotional, and psychological harm. Lawsuits allege:

• Negligence in hiring and supervision of staff who engaged in abuse.
• Failure to protect children from known dangers, including sexual predators.
• Civil rights violations for unlawful solitary confinement and physical mistreatment.
• Breach of duty in failing to provide adequate security, medical care, and mental health support.

A federal lawsuit filed in 2024 revealed horrific abuses at Jackson Parish Jail, where minors were housed with adults, subjected to pepper ball shootings, and denied access to basic hygiene and medical care. The lawsuit highlights a pattern of mistreatment that continues across multiple facilities in the state.

Facilities Under Investigation

​Louisiana operates several juvenile detention facilities, each with its own history, purpose, and challenges. Below is an overview of these centers:​

1. Acadiana Center for Youth (St. Martinville, LA)
   The Acadiana Center for Youth in St. Martinville is a state-run juvenile detention facility intended to provide secure care for youth adjudicated delinquent. However, the facility has faced severe scrutiny for its treatment of detainees. In 2022, reports surfaced detailing inhumane conditions, including juveniles being held in isolation for extended periods and denied access to education and rehabilitative services. These reports raised serious concerns about whether Louisiana’s juvenile justice system was prioritizing rehabilitation or simply warehousing youth in punitive conditions.
2. Ware Youth Center (Coushatta, LA)
   The Ware Youth Center in Coushatta has served multiple parishes since 1993, offering juvenile detention services. The facility has a documented history of abuse allegations, including reports of sexual misconduct by staff members. In 2014, a staff member was arrested for sexually assaulting three girls in custody, and in 2018, another guard was accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy. The facility has also faced reports of youth suicide attempts, raising further concerns about inadequate mental health care and supervision.
3. Bridge City Center for Youth (Jefferson Parish, LA)
   The Bridge City Center for Youth in Jefferson Parish is a state-operated facility housing male juveniles adjudicated delinquent. It has been plagued by high-profile security breaches, including multiple escape attempts. Reports indicate that detainees have been able to breach security measures, resulting in safety concerns for both staff and surrounding communities. Violence among detainees and against staff has been a persistent issue, with incidents of assaults and riots drawing attention to systemic failures in facility management.
4. Jackson Parish Correctional Center (Jonesboro, LA)
   The Jackson Parish Correctional Center in Jonesboro is primarily an adult correctional facility, but due to overcrowding in juvenile-specific facilities, youth detainees have been housed there in recent years. Reports indicate that juveniles at the facility have alleged physical abuse by staff, including the use of excessive force and chemical restraints. The placement of minors in an adult correctional setting has raised significant concerns about their safety and well-being, as well as potential violations of federal protections designed to separate juveniles from adult inmates.
5. Swanson Center for Youth (Monroe, LA)
   The Swanson Center for Youth in Monroe is a state-run facility providing secure care for male juveniles. Like Bridge City, Swanson has been the site of repeated violence, including incidents where juveniles assaulted staff members and attempted escapes. Concerns have been raised about whether the facility has adequate staffing and security protocols to prevent such disturbances. The persistent instability at Swanson reflects broader challenges within Louisiana’s juvenile justice system.
6. Tallulah Youth Prison (Tallulah, LA)
   The Tallulah Youth Prison, formerly known as the Madison Parish Juvenile Detention Center, was a privately-run facility that became notorious for abuse, neglect, and corruption. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, federal investigations revealed appalling conditions, including routine physical violence against detainees, inadequate medical care, and dangerously poor staffing levels. The facility’s brutal environment ultimately led to its closure, marking a significant failure in Louisiana’s approach to juvenile detention.
7. Jetson Correctional Center for Youth (Baton Rouge, LA)
   The Jetson Correctional Center for Youth in Baton Rouge, formerly known as the Louisiana Training Institute, was one of the state’s largest juvenile facilities before its closure in 2014. The facility was shut down as part of an effort to reform Louisiana’s juvenile justice system by shifting toward smaller, regional facilities. Before its closure, Jetson had faced repeated allegations of mistreatment, including excessive use of force and failure to provide adequate rehabilitative services.
8. St. Bernard Parish Juvenile Detention Center (Chalmette, LA)
   The St. Bernard Parish Juvenile Detention Center in Chalmette serves as a local detention facility for youth in the parish. While detailed reports about conditions at this facility are limited, our law firm has received calls from victims who allege abuse while detained there. These allegations suggest that the problems present in Louisiana’s larger juvenile detention centers may also extend to smaller, parish-run facilities.
9. Jena Juvenile Justice Center (Jena, LA)
   The Jena Juvenile Justice Center operated from 1998 to 2001 and became infamous for its mistreatment of juvenile detainees. A federal investigation found that the facility subjected incarcerated youth—most of whom were Black—to cruel and humiliating punishments, often at the hands of predominantly white guards. Reports detailed routine use of excessive force, physical abuse, and psychological mistreatment. The conditions at Jena were so severe that the facility was ultimately shut down in response to public outcry and federal intervention, marking it as one of Louisiana’s most egregious examples of juvenile justice system failures.
10. Louisiana Training Institute (LTI) – East Baton Rouge (Baker, LA)
    The Louisiana Training Institute (LTI) in East Baton Rouge, later renamed the Jetson Correctional Center for Youth, was a state-run juvenile detention facility that operated for decades before its closure. Originally one of the largest juvenile institutions in Louisiana, LTI faced longstanding allegations of excessive use of force, inhumane conditions, and failure to provide meaningful rehabilitative services. As part of broader juvenile justice reforms aimed at reducing reliance on large, centralized facilities, LTI was phased out and replaced by smaller, regional centers. Despite its closure, the facility remains emblematic of the systemic failures that plagued Louisiana’s juvenile detention system for years.

The Angola Disaster

One of the most egregious examples of this failure was Louisiana’s decision to house juvenile offenders at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, one of the most infamous maximum-security prisons in the country. Designed for adult inmates serving life sentences, Angola was never intended to hold minors for obvious reasons. Yet somehow the state chose to send youth offenders there under the justification that existing juvenile facilities were overcrowded and unsafe. The move sparked outrage for placing children in a high-security adult prison was both cruel and unconstitutional. The conditions at Angola were so extreme that they drew national attention, with reports detailing children being handcuffed during meals, placed in prolonged isolation, and denied even the most basic medical and mental health care. Family visitation was severely restricted, further isolating these young detainees and compounding their trauma.

In 2023, after months of legal challenges and public outcry, a federal judge ruled that the use of Angola to house juveniles violated their constitutional rights. The ruling was a damning indictment of Louisiana’s handling of juvenile justice and underscored the urgent need for reform. However, the removal of juveniles from Angola did not address the broader systemic issues plaguing the state’s juvenile detention system. Many of the same problems—excessive force by staff, lack of rehabilitative programs, and allegations of sexual abuse—continue to persist in other facilities across the state. Moreover, the conditions that led to the decision to send children to Angola in the first place, such as chronic understaffing, security failures, and overcrowding in juvenile detention centers, remain unresolved.

Legal Options for Survivors

If you or someone you love was abused, assaulted, or mistreated in a Louisiana juvenile detention center, you have legal rights. Survivors may be eligible to file lawsuits against:

• Individual perpetrators who engaged in abuse.
• Detention centers and state agencies that failed to protect children.
• Private companies that operated youth detention facilities.
• Government entities that ignored repeated warnings about inhumane conditions.

These lawsuits can help survivors seek compensation for damages, including:

• Medical and mental health expenses (past and future)
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and psychological harm
• Lost income and future economic losses

Louisiana’s Statute of Limitations for Juvenile Detention Center Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Louisiana has permanently eliminated the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse lawsuits, allowing survivors to file claims at any time—but only if their claims were still legally valid when the law changed in 2021. However, survivors whose claims had already expired under the old law were given a temporary opportunity to file under a lookback window. Initially set to expire on June 14, 2024, this window has been extended until June 14, 2027, giving some survivors additional time to sue.

If the abuse happened on or after June 14, 2021, survivors can file a lawsuit at any time with no deadline. If the abuse happened before June 14, 2021, whether a survivor can file in 2025 depends on their age when the law changed. Those who were younger than 28 in 2021 (born after June 14, 1993) can file at any time because their claims were still valid when Louisiana removed the statute of limitations. Those who were 28 or older in 2021 (born on or before June 14, 1993) were time-barred before the law changed but can still file if they take advantage of the extended lookback window, which now runs through June 14, 2027.

The extension only provides more time for survivors who already qualified under the original lookback window. It does not expand eligibility. Survivors 28 or older in 2021 who do not file by June 14, 2027, will permanently lose their right to sue.

Our Juvenile Detention Center Lawyers Fight for Survivors

Our legal team is dedicated to representing survivors of abuse in Louisiana’s juvenile detention centers. We understand the pain, trauma, and lasting impact of these experiences, and we are here to help you take back your power.

• We work on contingency – no fees unless we win your case.
• We provide free, confidential consultations – no obligation to move forward.
• We fight for maximum compensation – holding institutions accountable for the harm they caused.

If you or a loved one suffered abuse in a Louisiana juvenile detention center, contact us today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online. You deserve justice and we will fight for it for you.