In approximately 1979, youths confined at the Youth Study Center in New Orleans filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against the City of New Orleans alleging that defendant's room detention (lock down) policy violated the youths' constitutional rights. Subsequently, the plaintiffs, represented by the ACLU, and the defendant entered into a joint stipulation governing lock down at the Youth Study Center.

The parties set the maximum duration of time youths could be sent to lock down for committing specific offenses. The times varied based on the severity of the offense, but the maximum duration of lock down time the youths could serve was twenty-four hours. In the event a youth committed a serious violation that posed an extreme threat to other children or personnel, the Youth Study Center retained the right to hold that child in lock down in excess of twenty-four hours, but it had to notify the Juvenile Court within that time that it could no longer affect control over the child and needed instruction from the Juvenile Court as to the further treatment of the child.

The parties agreed that every alternative means to effectuate behavioral modification should be attempted and that only physical attacks and sexual offenses would lead to immediate lock down, while all other offenses would require administrative review before deciding whether lock down was appropriate. The parties further agreed that youths in lock down were still allowed educational instruction, social services, visitation, and medical services. We have no further information other than the joint stipulation.

Emilee Baker - 05/18/2006


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