ACLU Supporter –
We are fighting across the country for everyone’s civil liberties, including the safety and rights of our young people.
We defend trans youth’s right to exist, protect students’ right to learn in the classroom without censorship, and fight for any young person in this country who finds their freedoms on the line.
One such ACLU case that may not have been front and center in the news cycle lately was our fight to remove Louisiana children from the nation’s largest maximum security prison. As someone who is key to our work, we wanted to make sure you knew the latest:
- Since October 2022, 70 to 80 kids – almost all Black boys – have been cycled through and incarcerated in the former death row building of the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola. These children were all in the state’s juvenile justice system – the purpose is rehabilitation, not punishment.
- It is important to note that Angola started out as a slave plantation. It then became a prison camp exploiting Black laborers, and finally the nation’s largest maximum-security adult prison. Simply put, Angola is a monument to slavery and white supremacy.
- Within Angola’s walls, these children were subjected to abusive conditions including solitary confinement for days at a time.
- Two weeks ago, the state of Louisiana finally moved children out of Angola. After more than a year of national and local advocacy, public outrage, and an ongoing federal lawsuit – this is a victory for the children and their families.
- While we are relieved the children are out of Angola, we are outraged they had to suffer these abuses at all. Angola’s shameful legacy will not be forgotten. Children do not belong in prison, and no child should ever be sent back to Angola. Read our full press statement on this case.
ACLU Supporter, we know so many critical fights are happening right now – in Congress and across the states – but these kids were subjected to unimaginable harm and their story must be told.
We will continue to keep you informed of critical litigation work for young people and for ALL people in this nation – and thank you once again for being with us in this essential fight.
Onward,
The ACLU Team
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004, USA