Data Driven Policies: An Ideal for Louisiana's Juvenile Justice System

Authors

• Stephen Phillippi, LSU Health Sciences Center - New OrleansFollow
• Sara Juneau, LSU Health Sciences Center - New OrleansFollow
• Kelsey Witmeier, LSU Health Sciences Center - New OrleansFollow
• Victoria Sacco, LSU Health Sciences Center - New OrleansFollow

Abstract

Background: Data collection and monitoring efforts among juvenile justice agencies have grown exponentially in the United States over the last 50 years. Despite widespread recognition that reliable data is essential to developing strategic evidence-based policies, there are still considerable gaps among the states and locally. In Louisiana, legislators and decision-makers have worked towards advancing juvenile justice policy reforms in recent decades, though the resulting outcomes remain unclear. The goals of the current study were to identify existing data reporting strengths and gaps within the Louisiana juvenile justice system (JJS) and examine how such reports might be better used in data-driven decision making. Methods: To assess the state’s data availability and capabilities, the LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health’s Institute for Public Health and Justice reviewed existing reports, public documents, and datasets from July 2023 through June 2024. Data were gathered from federal, state, and local sources. Results: Though reports and aggregate data are available for most of Louisiana’s JJS key interaction points, they are limited and located sparsely throughout various sources. Additionally, there was no publicly reported data related to youth diversion outcomes in Louisiana, which is a key point for potentially impacting outcomes. Conclusion: This review prompted two recommendations for state leaders and policy makers to continue JJS improvement. First, a centralized JJS data system that integrates data from key state agencies is recommended to efficiently display publicly available, deidentified data, including annual trends and demographics. To further optimize the system, it is also recommended that data findings are reported regularly and shared with both state stakeholders and decision-makers to inform policies and support the state’s JJS advancement.

DOI

10.59020/84321

Recommended Citation

Phillippi, Stephen; Juneau, Sara; Witmeier, Kelsey; and Sacco, Victoria (2025) "Data Driven Policies: An Ideal for Louisiana's Juvenile Justice System," Journal of the Louisiana Public Health Association: Vol. 5: No. 2, Article 4.
DOI: 10.59020/84321
Available at: https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/jlpha/vol5/iss2/4