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Terrebonne Parish Settles Lawsuit Over Unlawful Conditions at Juvenile Detention Center
Terrebonne Parish has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. government over allegations of unlawful conditions at the Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Detention Center (TPJDC) in Houma, Louisiana. The lawsuit, filed on October 4, 2011, alleged that the parish had violated the constitutional rights of youth in the detention center.
The U.S. investigation, which began in November 2009, found widespread and systemic abuses and failures that contributed to the harms experienced by youth at TPJDC. The allegations included physical and sexual misconduct by staff on youth. The revised settlement agreement, entered by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans, contains comprehensive provisions related to incident reporting, use of isolation and discipline, suicide prevention, staff accountability and supervision, reporting allegations of abuse, training, quality assurance, and improved policies, procedures and practices directly tied to detailed outcome measures.
“We commend the administrators of TPJDC, Parish government officials, and their counsel for cooperating with the United States’ investigation and their commitment to reforming TPJDC to ensure that the constitutional rights of juveniles are protected,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “We appreciate that the highest levels of TPJDC and parish government have already taken great strides to begin the process of reform without waiting for a court order.”
Compliance with the agreement will be overseen by an independent monitor jointly selected by the U.S. government and Terrebonne Parish. The monitor will conduct compliance tours every six months and issue monitoring reports for the parties and the court. The parish is also required to provide monthly reports and updates to the U.S. government and the monitor regarding statistics, data, trends and corrective actions, if any, regarding the status of each substantive category of reform contained within the settlement agreement.
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 authorizes the government to seek a remedy for a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the constitutional or federal statutory rights of youth in juvenile justice institutions. The U.S. government filed the complaint against Terrebonne Parish on October 4, 2011.
Defendant: Terrebonne Parish
Crime: Violating constitutional rights of youth in juvenile detention center
City and State: Houma, Louisiana
Date: October 4, 2011
Sentence: Revised settlement agreement with comprehensive provisions for reform
Terrebonne Parish agreed to settle the lawsuit over unlawful conditions at the Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Detention Center. The parish will implement various reforms to ensure the constitutional rights of juveniles are protected.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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