In the 19th century, juveniles were often treated like smaller adults. Many worked on farms or in factories. When they broke criminal laws, they were tried and sentenced in adult courts, and received adult punishment.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Louisiana began creating a system for treating juvenile offenders differently from adult offenders.
At the beginning of the 21th century, Louisiana began work on reforming its juvenile justice system. Many parties have conflicting views on how this should be accomplished, and how much money should be spent in the effort.
Hopefully, this LibGuide will give the reader an overview of a complicated system that has changed often over the last 120 years.
