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Story Archives: Jindal commits $6.2 million for new juvenile facility at Swanson


Jindal commits $6.2 million for new juvenile facility at Swanson
by Scott Rogers - posted Thursday, April 24th, 2008 @ 3:30 pmE-mail Story E-mail Story | Print Story Print Story 
Gov. Bobby Jindal on Thursday pledged $6.2 million in state funding to build a behavioral center to help at-risk youth living in northeast Louisiana.

Jindal made the announcement at a news conference at Swanson Youth Center in Monroe. The new juvenile behavioral facility will be located there.

Jindal was flanked by District Attorney Jerry Jones, who has spent years trying to establish an at-risk facility in the region.

The state funding will be used to renovate existing buildings at Swanson where the behavioral center's programs will be implemented. It also will be used for the construction of a new management facility to support the expansion of trade and vocational programs for juveniles.

Once the facilities are opened, judges will be able to send certain juveniles to the behavioral center for a chance at reforming their lives.

There will be two dormitories -- one for male delinquents and the other for female.

During their stay at the facilities, area youth will also be trained for a vocation so they will be able to acquire jobs after leaving the reform program.

Jindal said he is confident the funding will be approved by the Legislature and the state Bond Commission.

"These are not promises; the funding is guaranteed and it will go to work immediately," Jindal said.

Jindal commended Jones for his efforts to give area juveniles a second chance to become productive citizens.

"He (Jones) has told me that his passion is to have opportunities for kids to be rehabilitated," Jindal said. "He is as tough on crime as any D.A. (district attorney), but in addition, he knows we have got to invest more in prevention to avoid these kids from becoming repeat offenders."

"That's what folks at Swanson are committed to doing," Jindal continued. "They are saving lives here through their hard work. They have a chance to turn a young person's life around, and take them off a path of crime and put them on a better path of becoming productive citizens."

Jones believes that one day other states and juvenile justice groups will look at the new program in Ouachita as a model to duplicate.

"This is something unheard of in juvenile justice," Jones said.

Bordering on becoming emotional, Jones thanked Jindal for supporting Jones' efforts to establish an at-risk program at Swanson.

"We all owe him (Jindal) a great deal of gratitude because this will benefit the entire region," Jones said.

Jones has pushed to build an at-risk facility here for almost 20 years. He believes it will help "reduce the incarceration rate among juvenile offenders in the region."

"This is probably the most important step made in the improvements in the juvenile justice system in this area in my 18-year career as a district attorney," Jones said.

Jones has said that all forms of services will be offered to youth who are sent to the center by juvenile judges. It also can be used to house children who are removed from a bad home environment.

Office of Youth Development director Richard Thompson said northeast Louisiana is leading the effort to regionalize youth services in the state.

"This will be an example of what we're trying to do in the state, and I look forward to seeing the good that this will do in this community for years to come," Thompson said.

Of the $6.2 million Jindal committed through his capital outlay bill for the at-risk facility, $2 million will be Priority 1 funding, and $4.2 million will be Priority 2 funding.

Besides announcing the state funding for the at-risk youth program championed by Jones, Jindal made it official the state will provide some $7.6 million for West Monroe's Sparta Aquifer rehabilitation project. The $7.6 million is the first of three installments in state funding for the Sparta project.

West Monroe Mayor Dave Norris, along with a host of other elected officials and citizens, was on hand for the news conference, too.
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