IBERIA PARISH (NEW IBERIA) — Juvenile detention centers and taxes: Two things that may not sound great together, but when applied 'right' can change communities for the better.
Now, some important funding from the state is just an application away for Judge Trey Haik, who is working to bring Iberia Parish its' first juvenile detention center, serving nine parishes.
"In the past, I'm embarrassed to say that we've sent kids to Mississippi and as far away as Alabama," said Judge Haik. "That's unacceptable."
For years, local government in Iberia Parish—and nationwide—has struggled to place kids (juveniles), who end up in custody.
"This is a local problem, with local kids, that we have to figure out how to deal with locally. Nobody's gonna come in and fix it for us," continued the New Iberia city court judge.
Haik says the most significant issue law enforcement faces is finding somewhere to put juveniles "from the time of the arrest to the time of the adjudication, or trial."
"I've had situations where Lafayette [Juvenile Detention] will house a juvenile on a serious gun charge," explained Judge Haik. "But then, after a short period of time, we'll get a phone call: 'Please pick 'em up, we need space for our own kids;' and so then that youth is turned loose."
Applications for a new state funding program, known as the Criminal Justice Priority Funding Commission Program, opened up on Sept. 1. Judge Haik hopes if awarded, this funding will enable Iberia Parish to have a facility of its own. He estimates the facility will cost around $50M.
"Our board is hopeful to set up something that's rehabilitative in nature, and something that's not a penal model--we're not just locking up kids--but a place where they're actually able to receive educational needs, medical needs if they need psychological or mental health services..."
That's why he's working with Joseph Dominick, the executive director at the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center (FPJDC) in Covington. The FPJDC is the largest regional juvenile detention center in Louisiana, serving 600-750 kids per year across five parishes.
"I've never seen Louisiana in the position that it's in now, to really change the face of juvenile justice," Dominick said during a Zoom interview. "Kids are not inherently born bad. They learn bad behavior, and that's usually because they don't have--or don't have a lot of--positive adult role models in their life."
The FJPDC is run on a 10-year, 3-mil tax, that's been renewed three times over; a model that both Haik and Dominick support.
"People don't wanna talk about taxes," said Dominick. "What we need to understand is that taxes just have to make sense."
"Our area, our district, the nine parishes, is gonna have to be committed to--I think a millage to sustain this facility that we're talking about, that the state's looking to essentially give us."
The Criminal Justice Priority Funding Commission is accepting applications until September 30. An approval date has not been set yet.
