In response to news about a lawsuit alleging “culture” of abuse at the Acadiana Center for Youth, Gina Womack, Co-founder and Executive Director of Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children issued the following statement:
We hope that this lawsuit is a step towards system accountability for the Office of Juvenile Justice. But we cannot ignore the deeper truth: these allegations point to a pattern of abuse that cannot be dismissed as isolated misconduct. With multiple staff arrested within months for similar offenses—and at least five OJJ employees arrested for sexual misconduct across facilities in just the past two years—this reflects a culture of exploitation and a failure of oversight that has left young people vulnerable to deep and lasting harm.
The latest report of a staff member accused of putting a young person in a chokehold also makes clear that this crisis extends beyond sexual abuse. From sexual exploitation to physical violence, the pattern is unmistakable—and it has persisted even as families have sounded the alarm and pleaded for action. For families across Louisiana, this is a crisis they have been naming and warning about for years, only to be met with silence, minimization, or inaction. It is unacceptable that this pattern has persisted while those responsible for oversight have failed to respond with the urgency this harm demands.
When arrests and allegations continue to emerge from the same systems and facilities, this is clearly not about individual bad actors. It is about a system that has allowed abuse to continue behind closed doors, without adequate transparency or accountability.
Our young people deserve care, safety, and rehabilitation—not further trauma. This moment demands that state leaders reckon with the systemic nature of this abuse and take responsibility for transforming a system that is failing to protect the youth in its custody. The path forward requires investing in community-based prevention, intervention, and healing so that no child is placed in an environment where exploitation and harm thrive.
Documented arrests in the media (2024–2026)
Oct. 9, 2024 – Bridge City Center employee (Reynard Cennett) arrested on sexual misconduct and related charges [wwltv.com]
May 9, 2025 – Acadiana Center for Youth employee (Khy Winbush) arrested for sexual misconduct with a youth [cenlanow.com]
May 12, 2025 – Second Acadiana employee (Keyana Nash) arrested for similar misconduct [katc.com]
Aug. 13, 2025 – Third Acadiana guard (Regina Holmes) arrested for criminal sexual acts (referenced in lawsuit reporting) [levylaw.com]
March 2026 – Another Acadiana employee (Kailey Francis) arrested for sexual misconduct [klfy.com]