July 21st 2023.
Young inmates in Louisiana are suffering from the unfavorable conditions of the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. According to a recent federal court filing, these juveniles have been living in a psychologically scarring isolation and lack basic services such as clean water and schooling. This has forced advocates to request that the youth be moved to a facility in better condition.
The paperwork filed in Baton Rouge claims that officials have not kept their promise to place inmates in a constitutionally acceptable facility -- as was set to take place in spring 2023. Now, advocates are asking for an order to end the housing of juveniles at Angola and to have them moved to a more suitable facility.
In the filing, advocates highlighted the severe conditions these juveniles face. They are locked in barred cells with only a metal bed and metal toilet/sink, unclean faucets, and no drinkable water source. Furthermore, the extreme heat of southeast Louisiana -- with temperatures regularly going above 100 degrees and sometimes as high as 130 degrees -- has gone unremediated.
Three youths who are or have been housed at the facility provided affidavits, sharing their experiences of foul water from unsanitary faucets and inedible food. One inmate even accused a correctional officer of slamming him against the wall and stated that he was overcome by a chemical irritant from another part of the jail.
Experts have warned of the physical and psychological dangers of keeping children in such conditions, with one medical expert stating that the prolonged solitary confinement of the youths can cause a “significant risk of serious psychological harm.”
In summer 2022, a lawsuit was filed questioning the ability to protect the juveniles and provide them with needed services. The attorneys in the lawsuit pointed out that with 83% of youth in the secure care system being Black, they will disproportionately suffer the effects of the Governor’s transfer plan.
These juveniles deserve to live in a safe and sanitary environment, with proper services and without the threat of psychological harm. It is essential that the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola is no longer a place of residence for juveniles, and that they are transferred to a facility that meets the requirements for their safety and well-being.
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