“We are aligning Louisiana with 49 other states. No other state has juvenile laws, crimes and procedures locked into their constitution like we do. Given the serious rise in violent juvenile crime, the legislature is simply asking the people, through a constitutional amendment, for the authority to address the most violent felony juvenile offenses. 

This does not change the law, as the amendment mirrors language already present in statute. What is being considered and requested is the flexibility to protect families, homes, businesses and communities from violent crime. 

While our goal remains to rehabilitate and redirection of troubled juveniles, we must also take every possible measure to safeguard innocent lives and communities.” - Heather Cloud, Louisiana State Senator 

“It’s not only just murder, it’s attempted murders and the gun crimes we’re seeing, some human trafficking that we’re seeing with juveniles. And we really are not set up as a juvenile justice system in Louisiana, or in the United States to handle the increase in the violent juvenile offenders, We want the ability just to be able to - on those few cases- and this is not opening up the floodgates as I’m sure it will be characterized, this is just those said cases that for the sake of public safety, the safety of our people, I believe that they should be transferred and dealt in adult court.”  - Hillar Moore, District Attorney  

“Currently, 16 specific crimes require that juveniles be tried as adults, restricting the Legislature’s ability to adjust for changing societal conditions. Moving this into statute allows lawmakers to add, remove, or modify the list as needed. This increases flexibility without preventing tough-on-crime policies when necessary. Vote YES.” - Jeffrey Sadow, Associate Professor of Political Science, Louisiana State University 

“The first thing we set out in the first special session was addressing public safety and crime. I’m going to tell you the passage of Amendment Three—there are four amendments on the ballot, and Amendment Three deals with our ability to curb juvenile crime. I would urge you to support it.” - Jeff Landry, Governor of Louisiana 

“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. 

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. 

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.” - Vote No on Amendment 3 

“Children should be treated differently than adults. The Louisiana Legislature has chosen a path that disregards decades of evidence showing that rehabilitative juvenile justice approaches lead to better outcomes for children and public safety. This decision fails our children and our communities. Instead of investing in solutions that address the root causes of juvenile delinquency, Senate Bill 2 doubles down on punitive measures that increase recidivism and perpetuate cycles of injustice. SPLC stands firmly against this harmful measure and urges Louisiana voters to reject it at the ballot box.” - Terry C. Landry Jr, Louisiana Policy Director, Southern Poverty Law Center 

“This amendment is not about filling a gap in the law—it’s about increasing punishment at the expense of rehabilitation. The data shows we’re disproportionately punishing kids for nonviolent crimes, and this amendment would only expand that problem. We need to invest in our youth and their futures, not in policies that strip them of hope and opportunity. Our children deserve better.” - Regina Barrow, Louisiana State Senator 

"I can view this in no other way than just giving up on children. We’re going to say we’re just going to treat them all as adults, and we’re not going to do our part as a society, as policymakers, to address what’s really failing — this is not going to do a single thing to deter crime.” - Royce Duplessis, Louisiana State Senator 

Louisiana Amendment 3, LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE CRIMES FOR TRYING JUVENILES AS ADULTS AMENDMENT (March 2025)

This question is on the ballot in Louisiana as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on March 29, 2025. No committee to support the amendment has been identified.

Committees formed to oppose Louisiana Amendment 3, LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE CRIMES FOR TRYING JUVENILES AS ADULTS AMENDMENT (March 2025):

Vera Institute of Justice Inc. - Vote No On Amendment 3

Selected contributions to Vera Institute of Justice Inc:

• The Navigation Fund, Berkeley, CA
• Synergy Network LLC, Slidell, LA
  

“Louisiana is rare in including such a specific list of the crimes for which a juvenile can be tried in adult criminal court in its constitution. Decades have passed since the list was last adjusted in Louisiana, and the types and severity of crimes committed by young people has worsened since then. Lawmakers need more adaptability to respond to the changes in crime trends and to the needs of law enforcement and district attorneys who are trying to keep communities safe. Passage of the amendment won’t immediately change anything because lawmakers would have to reach the high hurdle of a two-thirds vote to add more crimes to the list. If lawmakers later choose to broaden the list of crimes for which people under the age of 17 can be tried as adults, only a small number of young people accused of severe crimes would be impacted. Those types of felony crimes should carry tough consequences if a person is found guilty.” - Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana Voter Guide 

“Young people should be treated differently from adults because research shows teenagers have a lack of maturity and impulse control along with a higher capacity for rehabilitation. The list of crimes for which a juvenile can be tried as an adult was crafted to reflect those concerns. If lawmakers want to adjust the list, they can add crimes in the constitution. The amendment could lead to attempts to imprison young people in punitive adult prisons for lesser offenses that don’t deserve such harsh treatment, rather than in juvenile detention facilities that have a focus to reform young people. Louisiana has had one of the nation’s highest incarceration rates per capita for decades, but the state isn’t any safer than others. Leaders should focus on root causes of crime and prioritize improving education, literacy and skills training rather than incarceration. Sheriffs already don’t have the space to house people under 18 in their jails and comply with federal laws requiring those offenders to be segregated; treating more youths as adults would worsen the problem and likely increase taxpayer costs.” - Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana Voter Guide