LOUISIANA
Juvenile justice: Schools key to success
Shreveport attorney Clay Walker recently was honored as an outstanding national leader in juvenile justice reform, one of only four people recognized by the National Juvenile Justice Network. Walker is deputy public defender for the state and director of Juvenile Defender Services at the Louisiana Public Defender Board.
Reform efforts in juvenile justice, primarily signaled by a move away from warehouses of incarceration to community-based rehabilitation, have persisted over the past decade despite hurricanes and declining state revenue.
The Times asked Walker, who first worked within the Caddo Parish system before assuming his statewide duties, about the challenges facing juvenile justice.
The Times: Can you first put into perspective for us the size of
juvenile justice in Louisiana, how many youths are in the system, for
example? What's the typical reason a youth enters the system?
Walker: There are approximately 7,500 open delinquency cases in
Louisiana. About 1,100 of those are in Caddo Parish — with 150 new cases
a month. Caddo's juvenile defenders are also handling about 400 FINS
(Families in Need of Services) cases (ungovernable) and 350 CINC (Child
in Need of Care) cases (abuse and neglect).
The typical case, regardless of the charge, is a child who is on the
road to dropping out of school and no longer respects his mother's
discipline. That's what we are facing — getting children back on track
in school and establishing some discipline in the home.
The Times: Let's talk about the successes. What is Louisiana doing
right?
Walker: Collaborating. I have been all over the country looking at
juvenile justice systems. In Louisiana and, in particular, here in
Shreveport, the adults working in the system work well together. The
district attorneys, defenders, the sheriff, the probation staff, the
mental health community — everyone is at the table. We argue in court;
but outside of the courtroom, we are working together and we are closer
to a solution because of that collaboration.
The Times: What is the most pressing problem from a public defender
standpoint?
Walker: Too many cases. If a child is acting out in school because he
can't read, we need time to figure that out and advocate for the child.
If we can get him back on track — if we can teach him to read, he won't
be back in the system. If we don't teach him to read, he will, more than
likely, matriculate to the adult system. But defenders need time to find
the underlying problem. If you have too many cases, there is not enough
time and the child just slips through the cracks.
The Times: Regarding the entirety of juvenile justice, where would
you pour additional resources if it was yours to do?
Walker: The school system. We need more early education programs, and
the teachers need more support. If a child is acting out in class or is
beginning to show signs of failure, the teacher needs help. Teachers
don't have the time needed for one-on-one intervention when they have 25
other kids to teach. Of course, we need more community programs to help
the kids already in the system. But if you really want to fix the
problem, the answer is in early education.
The Times: While serving primarily in Caddo Parish, you had
particular concerns about the numbers of school students being routed to
the juvenile system. What is the current reality?
Walker: From my perspective, not much has changed. Teachers are being
asked to fix all sorts of societal problems in addition to teaching.
Like defenders, teachers are overworked and underpaid. Unfortunately,
they either quit teaching or they cope by pushing the troubled kids into
the juvenile justice system. It's understandable because teachers are
not there to fix all the problems; they are there to teach.
But by the time the child gets to the justice system, he is a good bit
older, which makes it more difficult to turn him around. The school
system has the access and knowledge of the child's needs long before
they have contact with the justice system. We need to find a way to help
the teachers when the children are younger.
The Times: What is the biggest myth or misconception among decision
makers and/or the public at large hampering juvenile justice reform?
Walker: Too many people blame the parents. I have seen many parents,
mostly single moms, who are working two jobs and doing their best. Just
like you and me, they love their kids. But they can't supervise them as
much as they need to because of work, and they are losing their boys to
the streets.
Don't get me wrong, I've also seen some parents who don't put their kids
first. But if we blame them, then we push them away and we all lose. If
we try to understand them, we have a fighting chance of installing some
positive changes.
Shreveport Times
8 August 2010
