State begins relocating juveniles to Angola; inmates escorted through Baton Rouge area Tuesday

BATON ROUGE – The first wave of juvenile inmates being moved to Angola, a controversial move that comes after a string of problems at a New Orleans-area jail, were escorted through the capital area by a convoy of law enforcement early Tuesday morning. 

About 10 of the offenders were moved from the Bridge City Center for Youth around 5:45 a.m. to a new temporary holding facility set up at the state prison in Angola. A prison bus was spotted taking the interstate through Baton Rouge that morning, accompanied by several law enforcement vehicles.

“This morning the Office of Juvenile Justice transferred several high-risk juveniles from the Bridge City youth center to Angola,” Sen. Pat Connick told WWL-TV. “This is good news for the Bridge City community and hopefully it will give those juveniles who want to change their lives a chance to do so.”

The holding facility where the teens are being kept is separated from the adult inmates at the state penitentiary. 

Governor John Bel Edwards announced months ago the plan to relocate some of the state’s most violent juvenile offenders after a series of breakouts and other troubles at the Bridge City jail. The decision to move the inmates prompted a lawsuit filed by activists on behalf of the juveniles. Though the legal fight is ongoing, a judge gave the state the OK to relocate those inmates for now.