HLS 16RS-1308 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 6
BY REPRESENTATIVE BOUIE
SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH: Recognizes Wednesday, April 6, 2016, as Youth Justice
Day
1 A RESOLUTION
2To recognize Wednesday, April 6, 2016, as Louisiana Youth Justice Day at the state capitol.
3 WHEREAS, on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, the Louisiana Youth Justice Coalition,
4which is a network of organizations and individuals who support a legislative and policy
5agenda for common sense juvenile reform, will sponsor Louisiana Youth Justice Day; and
6 WHEREAS, on that day, the Coalition, as well as students from Sci Academy,
7Crescent Leadership Academy, G.W. Carver Preparatory Academy, Cohen College Prep,
8Joseph S. Clark Preparatory School, Edna Karr High School, and Northside High School,
9will gather on the steps of the capitol to ask the legislature to raise the age at which a child
10can be prosecuted as an adult from seventeen to eighteen; and
11 WHEREAS, Louisiana is one of only nine states that charges all seventeen-year-olds
12as adults; and
13 WHEREAS, in Louisiana, high school students can be sent to violent adult jails,
14where such students face a dramatically increased risk of abuse; and
15 WHEREAS, in Louisiana, seventeen-year-olds cannot vote, serve on juries, or join
16the military, but nonetheless can be charged and imprisoned as adults; and
17 WHEREAS, raising the age would protect the rights of parents to be involved in the
18court cases of their minor children; when seventeen-year-olds are arrested, their parents do
19not need to be informed of the arrest and do not have a right to be involved in the court
20process; and
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HR NO. 6
1 WHEREAS, seventeen-year-olds who are arrested end up with an adult arrest record
2that can prevent them from getting an education and joining the workforce, thus increasing
3their chances of falling into a cycle of arrest, incarceration, and poverty; and
4 WHEREAS, Louisiana Youth Justice Day is an opportunity for students to learn a
5real-life civics lesson about the legislative process, to be civically engaged, and to make the
6legislature aware of their desire for justice reform; and
7 WHEREAS, the students who participate in Louisiana Youth Justice Day are
8examples of the kind of informed and active citizenry that is at the very foundation of the
9American democratic experiment.
10 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
11Legislature of Louisiana does hereby recognize April, 6, 2016, as Louisiana Youth Justice
12Day at the state capitol and also commends the Louisiana Youth Justice Coalition for its
13efforts to promote juvenile justice reform.
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
15to the Louisiana Youth Justice Coalition.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 6 Original 2016 Regular Session Bouie
Recognizes Wednesday, April 6, 2016, as Youth Justice Day at the state capitol.
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