Louisiana's Office of Juvenile Justice Youth Safety Initiative

Louisiana’s Office of Juvenile Justice (often called OJJ) will address the problem of diminished PREA knowledge at our facilities and group homes by recreating a rewarding and successful leadership retreat of eight years ago that played a pivotal role in making the agency robustly aware of PREA regulations, as well as knowledgeable about what solutions need to happen in the face of complex problems. The agency will contract with a subgrantee with appropriate expertise to host another retreat in order to repeat the success of those days and to reinvigorate leadership activities through PREA training and education. Additionally, this retreat will produce a curriculum for facility middle-management focused on the PREA standards, lessons on complex PREA issues, and trauma-informed care. Our objectives are: Increase by 35 the number of agency leaders trained at the retreat. Increase by 60 the number of facilities managers trained in the PREA solutions that develop at the retreat. Increase by 40 the number of group home leaders trained in PREA solutions. Increase by 10 the number investigators trained in PREA solutions. Increase by 435 the number of coaching and check-in calls to maintain sustainability and critical thinking after trainings have ended. Deliverables: a retreat, trainings, curricula, and increased knowledge for 145 employees, which will increase safety at facilities and cut down on the risk of sexual assaults. Service area: the State of Louisiana, specifically all secure and non-secure juvenile facilities in the state. Target population: adjudicated youths in secure and non-secure setting in all areas of the state, and 145 employees.