Richard Webster

Louisiana’s criminal justice system now treats all 17-year-olds as adults. Lawmakers lowered the age from 18 to curb teen violence, but nearly 70% of the 17-year-olds arrested in the state’s three largest parishes aren’t accused of violent crimes.

Louisiana is the fourth state to enact a so-called police buffer law, which allows officers to order people to keep their distance. Journalists say the law will make it harder to document when police use excessive force.

The Prison Litigation Reform Act was passed to curtail the number of lawsuits filed by inmates over conditions behind bars. It has kept courts from forcing Louisiana to overhaul the medical system in its largest prison.

The ruling was a victory for state attorney general, Jeff Landry, but defense attorneys say it could also help their clients’ requests for reduced sentences.

Video of mother’s arrest raises questions about 25-foot buffer law

Officers sat on the 16-year-old’s back for nine minutes before he died. They claim they needed to do so because he posed a threat.

Deputies have violated the civil rights of a 16-year-old autistic boy when they pinned him to the pavement and sat on his back for more than 9 minutes. The teen died on the scene in January 2020.

Louisiana sued thousands of homeowners for not following the rules in how they spent recovery grants. After a joint news investigation, the governor announced Thursday that the state won’t try to collect the money.

The finding builds on earlier reporting, which found records were destroyed in the case of a 16-year-old boy who died while in custody of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

A lawsuit brought by the family of an autistic teen who died while in custody found the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office destroyed the disciplinary records of a deputy involved in the case.