Last week, the state Senate Judiciary committee handed SB 74, a invoice that might mechanically funnel all arrested 15- and 16-year-olds into the grownup court docket system. But, as Sarah Omojola notes, each single senator on that committee comes from a district that lately voted down Modification 3.  

On March 29, 2025, Louisiana voters overwhelmingly rejected all 4 constitutional amendments on the poll—most notably Modification 3, which might have paved the best way for the legislature to ship extra of our children to grownup court docket, jail, and jail. 

But solely two weeks after voters decisively rejected this heinous try, our legislature started introducing extra payments supposed to bypass the need of their constituents. 

Amongst them is Senate Invoice (SB) 74, authored and filed by Sen. Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport), which might mechanically put 15- and 16-year-olds accused of any felony into grownup court docket.

Children aren’t tiny adults (as a lot as our youngsters may argue otherwise). 

As mother and father know, youngsters nonetheless make infantile errors. Trendy advances in mind science verify what we all know:their brains and our bodies are quickly rising, and they’re developmentally unable to grasp long-term penalties the best way grownup brains do. 

However mother and father additionally know the potential inside youngsters: they’re additionally tremendously able to progress and alter, and that’s why our nation developed separate juvenile-justice methods within the first place. In Louisiana, we have already got a juvenile-justice system that’s supposed to handle the actual challenges and profound alternatives dealing with youngsters who’ve misplaced their manner. If now we have criticisms of that system, we should always work collectively to repair them.

Earlier this 12 months, legislators proposed Modification 3, to overwrite these realities and funnel extra of our youngsters into the grownup legal authorized system. Voters mentioned no. SB 74 is only a remix of the identical flawed method.

If our lawmakers have been critical about security and the way forward for our communities, they might spend money on training, psychological well being sources, after-school applications, job coaching, and skill-building alternatives. Although many points are caught up in partisan politics, help for youth applications has at all times been one place the place we are able to agree.  In a 2024 ballot of Louisiana voters—the vast majority of whom voted for President Trump—84% agreed that investing in our communities by means of applications for youth is an efficient technique to scale back crime. 

SB 74 isn’t any such resolution and goes immediately towards the need of the folks. Why would we would like each 15-year-old and 16-year-old who’s arrested to enter the grownup system? There already is a technique to switch youngsters that age for the worst crimes.. To take action mechanically doesn’t mirror actuality: that youngsters make errors and must be given an opportunity to take care of them throughout the juvenile-justice system.

District 31, which Sen. Seabaugh represents, voted Modification 3 down by practically 55%. Bossier Parish, which handed each different modification on the poll, voted to maintain youth out of the grownup system. Even Modification 3’s writer, Sen. Heather Cloud, noticed the poll try fail resoundingly together with her constituents: each parish in her district voted down Modification 3, with a whopping 67% of St. Landry Parish voting towards the measure.

But final  week, Judiciary C Committee permitted SB 74 by a 6-1 vote, regardless of testimony opposing the invoice from younger folks, juvenile-justice specialists, illustration from a sheriff’s workplace, and advocates—and no supporting testimony from the general public in any respect. 

Via the testimony, committee members got a transparent message to maintain youngsters accused of crimes within the juvenile system, but they nonetheless ignored most of their very own constituents’ pursuits. 

Contemplate the proportion of constituents who voted towards Modification 3 throughout the districts of senators on the Judiciary C committee: Each parish in Senators Blake Miguez and Caleb Kleinpeter’s districts voted towards Modification 3, with Lafayette voting 65% no and West Baton Rouge voting 71% no. In Sen. Mark Abraham’s district too, 59.7% voted towards placing extra kids within the grownup system by means of Modification 3; whereas a little bit greater than 51% of Sen. Jay Morris’s district additionally voted no.

Sen. Valarie Hodges’ district voted no on Modification 3 by 53 p.c.

Sen. Regina Barrow, the one Senator to vote towards SB 74, forged her vote in a manner that mirrored the need of her district—East Baton Rouge Parish—which resoundingly rejected Modification 3 at practically 93% of the vote.

We as Louisianans should ask ourselves whether or not our votes matter or not and if it is a authorities that seeks to serve the folks. We now have the appropriate to political illustration and authorities leaders who act in the most effective pursuits of our communities and our future. We deserve insurance policies and laws that create protected, wholesome neighborhoods, the place we and our youngsters can thrive.

Elected officers must do their responsibility—to grasp that their constituents are watching and don’t approve. The cellphone quantity and e mail deal with of each legislator is listed on-line; it’s your proper as a Louisianan and a member of your group to remind every of them that they signify you. Name your legislators—after which name them time and again. 

Keep in mind, they should run for workplace in 2027. Remind them that they have to earn your vote by reflecting the need of  these they signify.

Sarah Omojola is the director of Vera Louisiana.

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