Baton Rouge Area Foundation

Since 2017, East Baton Rouge Parish has participated in the Safety and Justice Challenge as an Innovation site through an award to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. It is one of twenty competitively selected jurisdictions receiving small project grants and technical assistance from the Urban Institute in support of targeted efforts to safely reduce jail misuse and overuse. On the basis of project performance and with the help of the Urban Institute, a subset of these sites has been identified as ready for deeper implementation investment. This award enables East Baton Rouge to undertake more ambitious reforms aimed at driving down local incarceration and disparities in jail usage, as an implementation site in the Safety and Justice Challenge Network.

The Baton Rouge Area Foundation, which supports projects that improve the well-being of Louisiana’s citizens, will use this grant to work with state and local agencies to reduce the number of youth sent into out-of-home placements and improve their outcomes by increasing their access to community-based behavioral health services. The project is part of a state initiative to serve all children and youth who have behavioral health needs--including those in contact with the juvenile justice system--through a single point of entry into a coordinated system of care.

To support work on dissemination and sustainability on behalf of Louisiana Models for Change (over 18 months).