Vote No to Protect Our Youth
VOTE NO ON Amendment 3
Together, we can stop the harmful expansion of adult courts for youth. On March 29, Vote No on Amendment 3 to ensure a brighter future for Louisiana.
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Join a growing coalition of advocates opposing Amendment 3 and sign up for updates to help protect vital community services and prevent harmful increases in incarceration.
Stories of those impacted
WITH Amendment 3, more Youth WOULD EXPERIENCE REAL HARM
Stories are at the forefront of justice reform because they amplify the voices of people who are directly impacted, highlighting the urgent need for real solutions rooted in care.
The harm of adult jails
Since the implementation of policies that already charge more children as adults, nearly 70% of 17-year-olds arrested in Louisiana’s largest parishes have been jailed for nonviolent offenses. These policies introduce youth to the adult criminal legal system before their trial, leading to increased risks of suicide, physical assault, and lack of educational opportunities. Stories like Jaylah’s highlight how vulnerable youth, particularly those arrested for minor offenses, are often left to navigate a justice system that does more to punish than rehabilitate. While Jaylah’s case didn’t lead to incarceration, the challenges she faced reflect the systemic failures that frequently push youth toward adult facilities and leave them without the support they need to rebuild their lives.
A Misguided Approach
Louisiana’s youth deserve better than being sent to adult courts for minor offenses. Programs that provide resources and support—like guaranteed income and mental health services—demonstrate that when we invest in children, they can thrive. Zoey’s story exemplifies the profound difference that compassion and advocacy can make for a young person trapped in a cycle of hardship and criminalization. When we offer children opportunities, they succeed. It’s time we shift away from expanding the criminal system and toward addressing the root causes of harm—poverty, mental health issues, and lack of support.
Why oppose Amendment 3
Amendment 3 is harmful, expensive, and ineffective
Amendment 3 would expose more youth to the dangers of adult jails, where they face significantly higher risks of suicide and long-term harm, while worsening Louisiana’s already overburdened and costly legal system. This policy disproportionately impacts marginalized youth and undermines the rehabilitative focus of the juvenile legal system, leading to greater societal and financial costs without improving public safety.
Cost of Pretrial Detention
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Louisiana spends over $290 million annually on pretrial detention, with the majority of individuals unable to afford bail. Black youth are five times more likely to be jailed than their white peers.
Amendment 3 would expand the ability to try youth as adults for nearly any offense, including nonviolent crimes like shoplifting, exposing more youth to adult sentencing without clear benefits.
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Impact of Amendment 3 on Youth
While recidivism rates decrease as a result of the juvenile legal system's focus on rehabilitation, youth jails and prisons face their own share of systemic failures, including poorly trained and overworked staff, physical abuse from staff or other incarcerated youth, overuse of solitary confinement, and lack of federally mandated education.
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Recidivism Rates
Overburdened Legal System
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Louisiana already spends over $1 billion annually on its justice system, yet expanding adult courts for youth will only increase costs without improving public safety.
NOBODY ASKED FOR AMENDMENT 3
Amendment 3 is part of a larger power grab by politicians, lobbyists, and political megadonors in Baton Rouge. They’re trying to dupe us into passing four amendments to make them richer, more powerful and less accountable to us.
They couldn’t get them passed during the regular session, so they pushed them through in a special session when no one was paying attention. Now they’re banking that misleading ballot language and a low-turnout election will get them an easy win.
These amendments started behind closed doors in a smoky back room and they’re using smoke and mirrors to pass them.
What others are saying
Amendment 3’s failings make news
The opposition to Amendment 3 is widespread. Join our growing movement to protect youth.
Calls grow for Louisiana to stop sending kids to adult prison
Mental health professionals oppose Louisiana sending more youth to adult prisons
Louisiana Senate approves proposal making it easier to send minors to adult prisons
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HELP US SPREAD THE WORD
Join the movement to stop Amendment 3 by downloading our shareable assets! Spread the word on social media with ready-made graphics and posts to amplify the message and inspire action in your community.
Our partners
We are A strong coalition with a clear vision
We are proud to stand alongside a coalition of organizations and community leaders dedicated to building a safe, thriving Louisiana. This includes working together to protect our youth and ensure they have the resources, support, and opportunities they deserve —not incarceration and burdensome adult convictions that will follow them around for the rest of their lives.
What you need to know about Amendment 3
Frequently asked questions
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Amendment 3 would amend our state constitution so that legislators could more easily send kids to adult prisons. The amendment would remove the constitutional protections that keep most young people out of the adult criminal legal system. On March 29, Louisiana voters have the chance to protect our young people and vote NO on Amendment 3.
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Amendment 3 will not make Louisiana safer. Adult jails and prisons are dangerous places for children, with little focus on youth rehabilitation. This is a move to warehouse and abandon our youth, instead of investing in a safer, better future for all. If Amendment 3 passes, Louisiana's legislators will certainly use their new powers to lock even younger people in adult prisons for all manner of infractions.
Legislators have already proven they don’t know or don’t care about what actually makes us safer. Just last year during the special crime session, they allowed the state to charge 17-year-olds as adults. Lawmakers said they needed to make this change in order to address violent crime. However, in the few short months since they lowered the age, nearly 70% of 17-year-olds arrested in Louisiana's three largest parishes have been jailed for nonviolent offenses. Amendment 3 would further embolden Louisiana lawmakers to throw our kids in adult prisons instead of doing the real work of making our communities safer.
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We all deserve safe communities and any time someone in our communities is harmed, there is cause for concern. We need our lawmakers to prevent crime by addressing the root causes of crime, such as poverty, trauma, mental health, and lack of economic opportunity. Amendment 3 fails to address any of the known root causes of crime, fails to prevent crime and violence, and will further endanger our community by denying our young people the opportunities they need to become healthy, whole members of our communities.
Vote no on Amendment 3
Protect Our Youth, Vote NO on 3
We cannot allow Amendment 3 to pass. The future of Louisiana’s youth depends on us. Join the movement to protect our children from harmful policies that would send them to adult courts for minor offenses.
Sign Up for Updates: Stay informed on the latest developments in the fight to protect youth.
VOTE: Make sure you are registered and have a plan to vote. Early voting is March 15-22 and Election Day is March 29.
Share the Message: Help spread the word and protect Louisiana’s future.
