The Chicago-based John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded a $7.5 million grant to the state of Louisiana to reform its corrections system for young offenders, the Bayou Buzz reports.

The grant, which will be distributed over five years, will be used to coordinate and galvanize reform efforts already under way, including a plan to reorganize three juvenile detention centers into smaller, dorm-like facilities that can provide more individualized treatment. According to Laurie Garduque, director of MacArthur's juvenile justice program, Louisiana was chosen from among eleven states to participate in the foundation's Models for Change program, which works to reform the way courts, correctional centers, and support facilities punish and rehabilitate children who commit crimes.

"The goal of this initiative is to promote a juvenile justice system that is rational, effective, and developmentally sound," said Garduque. "It should be a system that holds young offenders accountable for their actions, provides for their rehabilitations, protects them from harm, increases their life chances, and manages the risk they pose to themselves and to public safety. It is a tall order, but we are seeing states across the country — Louisiana is a leader among them — that are recognizing you cannot deal with the problem of youthful offenders by simply acting as if they are no longer young and consigning them to a criminal justice system designed for adults."

Louisiana joins Pennsylvania and Illinois as early participants in the Models for Change initiative, which requires the development of a statewide work plan designed to guide and focus the state's reform efforts.