State ex rel. Morgan v. State: A Small Step in the Right Direction for Louisiana's Incarcerated Youth

Abstract

From 2011 to 2015, Orleans Parish sent more children to serve life-without-parole sentences than any other county or parish in the nation except Los Angeles County, which has a population more than thirty times larger than that of Orleans Parish. State ex rel. Alden Morgan v. State is an important Louisiana Supreme Court decision that signified a minor shift in Louisiana’s approach to its mass incarceration problem, moving the focus away from punishment and toward juvenile rehabilitation.