(Black PR Wire) NEW ORLEANS — The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) applauds the decision of Louisianans to roundly reject all four constitutional amendments, particularly Amendment 3, which would have made it easier to sentence children to adult jails and prison. Out of the 64 parishes in Louisiana, 52 of them voted NO on Act 3:

“The people of Louisiana have decisively rejected Act 3, which would have transferred authority from the state constitution to the legislature to allow children as young as 10 to be placed in adult prisons. This harmful proposal posed a direct threat to the rights of our youth and would have worsened the cycle of incarceration, specifically for marginalized communities. This victory reinforces our dedication to justice, rehabilitation, and the belief that no child should ever be in an adult prison,” said Terry C. Landry Jr., Louisiana policy director, Southern Poverty Law Center.

###

About the Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people. For more information, visit www.splcenter.org.