The news reporters were invited there to show that Gov. Kathleen Blanco has moved revamping Louisiana's juvenile justice system to the forefront of her administration's initiatives.
After months of waiting, the governor last week announced a specific strategy -- focusing more on treatment than incarceration.
She called in the expert, Mark Steward, to assess the state's prison system for young criminals.
As director of the Missouri Division of Youth Services, Steward has received accolades for a juvenile prison system that boast low rates of violence and repeat offenses -- two traits that plague Louisiana.
