What is Amendment 3?

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.

Why vote NO on Amendment 3?

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.

HOW do we make louisiana safer?

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.

Why is incarceration so bad for kids?

Our brains continue to develop up until our mid-twenties. Because of this, young people naturally seek high rewards, resulting in increased risky and impulsive behavior. Most people mature out of this behavior as the part of the brain responsible for making good decisions becomes more fully developed.

Studies indicate that serving time in prison during this critical period can impair brain development, leading to difficulties in managing impulses and emotions, and also exacerbate existing trauma in system-impacted youth. Instead of addressing the underlying issues, prison time simply punishes both children and their communities. This approach often results in a higher likelihood of re-offending, which decreases overall public safety.

But I heard the amendment would only apply to young people convicted of felonies? 

Felonies cover a wide range of charges. A felony is any crime for which the punishment is more than six months. Stealing something worth more than $1000 is a felony. (For context, one of the latest iPhone models costs $1199.) A third possession of marijuana is a felony. Louisiana’s constitution already allows for youth to be transferred to the adult system for the most serious of offenses—murder, rape, kidnapping, and armed robbery. Amendment 3 would create a pathway for young people to be charged as adults, and jailed with adults, for misbehavior like stealing a phone.