Soros Justice Fellowships

Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
Parents have the potential to be their children’s most powerful and effective advocates. Yet, they are often ignored, disempowered, and their voices silenced by the very system that purports to care for their children. The “Families Empowering Families” project seeks to take a more holistic approach to addressing issues surrounding juvenile incarceration in Louisiana by facilitating the affected families’ access to the judicial and administrative processes. “Families Empowering Families” will improve parents’ knowledge of and access to such rehabilitative alternatives as educational, and mental health counseling programs—thereby demonstrating that such methods are a more effective, and humane way of helping our children and communities. The fellowship project will provide intensive legal and advocacy training and create a team of Parent Advocates who will then reach out statewide to lend support and guidance to any parent whose child becomes entangled in the juvenile justice system. From the moment of arrest through participation in aftercare programs upon release, this project will empower families and friends of Louisiana’s incarcerated youth to advocate for their and others’ loved ones—with the goal of reducing the number of children who are needlessly incarcerated in Louisiana’s brutal secure care facilities.

New Orleans, LA |