(The Center Square) — The upcoming election on constitutional amendments has sparked public outcry concerning Amendment 3, which gives authority to charge young children as adults when it comes to certain crimes decided by the judge if passed.
Members of the Caddo parish organization The People’s Promise came forward at Thursday’s commission meeting expressing strong feelings towards the constitutional revisions, urging others in the parish and watching to vote no on amendment 3. The People’s Promise is a nonprofit youth group from Shreveport advocating for the rights and safety of the juveniles in the city.
“Imagine being just 10 years old and facing adult consequences for a mistake made in the heat of the moment?” Jayden Stewart said to the committee.
Kennedy Dennis, of The People’s Promise, believes putting children in the same area as adults who commit crimes not only exposes them to the possibility of physical danger but also emotional danger, which could potentially take a toll on the juvenile involved. The members of the organization made the argument that kids’ minds are still developing, and they cannot weigh consequences in the same way adults can. Stewart said the Juvenile Justice Center is better equipped for the needs of children than a regular jail.
“At that age, kids are still figuring things out, and they don’t always fully understand the consequences of their actions. They’re still growing, learning, and developing their sense of rights and wrongs,” Dennis said.
Breka Peoples, founder of The People’s Promise and longtime community activist, raised question against leadership on how they plan to ensure this law won’t hurt the youth of Caddo. She wonders how they, as a society, are going to ensure young people are not being punished more than they should be. Peoples raised concerns that the funding being put into these organizations designed to help the youth in Caddo is not going where it should.
“Let me be clear, this amendment is a direct attack on our youth. Our governor and some of our members on this very body want to push our kids into adult prisons for minor crimes. This is a pipeline to mass incarceration,” Peoples expressed.
According to the many speakers representing The People’s Promise, the argument should concern the resources that aren’t reaching the people they are designated to help. Peoples said that she wasn’t concerned about juvenile crime in Caddo and Shreveport. She feels the southern part of the state pushed to have this revision added to the ballot.
Bossier and Caddo Parish residents will vote on four crucial constitutional amendments in the March 29 election. Apart from Amendment 3, also on the ballot are revisions to Amendment 1, Amendment 2 and Amendment 4.
“Let’s choose rehabilitation over punishment, and give kids the opportunity to change,” said Stewart.
