Criminal Justice Priority Funding Commission recommends $99.9 million for six projects, including new Jetson center

Commissioner Taylor Barak and facility planners presented the first round of recommendations from the Criminal Justice Priority Funding Commission, established by legislation in the special session to prioritize capital needs for juvenile and detention facilities. Matt Baker, applications coordinator for Facility Planning, told the committee the commission received 18 proposals and recommended funding six projects totaling $99,906,680.

The six recommended projects and the commission’s recommended amounts are: New Jetson Center for Youth (East Baton Rouge Parish) — $16,000,000; Central Louisiana Juvenile Detention Center (Rapides Parish) — $37,978,880; River Parishes Juvenile Detention Center (Thibodaux area) — $36,615,100; Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office detention center (Ferriday) — $3,000,000; Tangipahoa Parish work‑release dormitory and infrastructure upgrades (Amite City) — $1,312,700; and the Integrated Criminal Justice Information System (ICJIS) statewide initiative — $5,000,000. Baker said the total recommended funding equals $99,906,680.

What the commission did: the division advertised the program and received applications, a nine‑member working panel (facility planning, OJJ, DOC, governor’s office, municipal and parish associations, and a youth‑justice organization) scored and rated submissions, and the commission approved the panel’s recommendations. The commission’s action was presented to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget as recommendations; commissioners said the package will be returned to the legislature for formal appropriation and JLCB approval in a subsequent meeting.

Jetson specifics and programmatic timeline drew in‑depth questioning. The administration previously included $12,700,000 in the executive budget for a basic remodel/reset to add 44 beds at the Jetson facility as an interim step; the commission’s recommendation includes a $16,000,000 allocation for the New Jetson Center as a longer‑term, state‑of‑the‑art replacement facility designed to house 72 beds. Jason Starnes, Undersecretary for the Office of Juvenile Justice, said the immediate plan is to create interim intake capacity (up to 44 beds after short‑term repairs) and to proceed with design and construction of a new facility; staff estimated about two years from current design completion to construction finish.

Members raised community and security concerns about returning juvenile intake functions to the Jetson campus in East Baton Rouge Parish. Representative Carpenter and Senator Barra stressed the need for neighborhood outreach and detailed security plans; Starnes and facility planning said interim work will include fencing, interior security fixes and that the new building will consolidate dormitories, classrooms and medical spaces inside a single perimeter to reduce movement across open campus land and improve safety. Facility planners said part of the longer‑term solution may include demolition of obsolete buildings but noted final disposition will require additional study and site work.

Members also praised regional cooperation models: the Rapides Parish‑led Central Louisiana project was commended for a multiparish approach that will allow several parishes to share a detention resource rather than sending youth long distances. Supporters said the River Parishes plan could relieve immediate capacity stress and reduce out‑of‑area placements that complicate court access and family visitation.

The commission recommended the Integrated Criminal Justice Information System (ICJIS) initiative for $5,000,000 to accelerate data‑sharing upgrades between clerks, courts, district attorneys, law enforcement and corrections. Administration counsel said ICJIS funding will be used for pilot upgrades, vendor work and a broker system to enable disparate systems to exchange data more reliably, with a server environment currently managed through Louisiana State Police technical staff.

Decision status: the Criminal Justice Priority Funding Commission presented the recommendations to the committee for review; committee members said they would review materials and the administration planned to return with the package for formal legislative approval in a future meeting. No JLCB appropriation vote on the commission package was taken at this hearing.

Why it matters: the package is aimed at immediate capacity constraints in juvenile detention and at long‑standing data‑sharing gaps that affect court processing, licensing and reporting. If appropriated, the projects would reshape where youth are held, improve regional cooperation and invest in data infrastructure to reduce paperwork delays and reporting errors.