This is one of a collection of § 1983 inmate cases filed in Louisiana federal courts to challenge the operation and conditions of confinement in the Louisiana prison system and in parish and city jails through Louisiana. These cases have worked their way through the federal courts over the last four decades and are part of this collection, located at PC-LA, JC-LA and JI-LA.

In this case, private plaintiffs filed a civil rights class action in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana to challenge the abusive and inhumane conditions inflicted upon juveniles confined at the Jena Juvenile Justice Center ("Jena") in Jena, Louisiana.

The lawsuit followed the November 1998 filing of the case, U.S. v. Louisiana, [JI-LA-1] which alleged unconstitutional conditions of confinement at other juvenile detention centers in Jetson, Bridge City, Swanson and Tallulah, Louisiana.

In April 2000, the DOJ, plaintiffs and defendants entered into a settlement agreement ("the Jena Agreement") to resolve demands for preliminary injunctive relief sought by the DOJ in U.S. v. State of Louisiana, and by the Private Plaintiffs in A.A., et al. v. Wackenhut Corrections Corp., et al. CIV.A. 00-246-B-M1 [JI-LA-7] regarding conditions at Jena Juvenile Justice Center. The District Court (Judge Frank J. Polozola) approved the Agreement on April 13, 2000. An amendment to the Jena Agreement was filed on May 9, 2000.

On October 3, 2000, the District Court approved the Joint Settlement Agreement for Medical, Dental, Mental Health, Rehabilitation and Juvenile Justice Issues ("2000 Settlement Agreement") reached in this case and the cases, U.S. v. Louisiana, was consolidated with Williams v. Edwards, Civ. No. 71-98-B [PC-LA-1] and Brian B. v. Stadler, Civ. No. 98-886-B-M1 [JI-LA-6] and In Re: Juvenile Facilities ) Civ. No. Ch 97-Ms-001-B [JI-LA-8].

The case was ordered administratively closed and no further activity was noted on the PACER docket as of the date of this summary.

Dan Dalton - 02/23/2007


compress summary