Advocate for incarcerated youth sees Bridge City instructor’s arrest as ‘systemic problem’

The Louisiana Senate has agreed to confirm Kenny Loftin to run Louisiana's youth prisons. Democrats had expressed concerns about Loftin getting the job. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)

A leading advocate for young people held in the state correctional system says this week’s arrest of an employee at a Jefferson Parish facility is indicative of a larger problem with Louisiana’s Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ).

Gina Womack, co-founder and executive director of Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children, issued a response following Tuesday’s arrest of Reynard Cennett, 35, an instructor at the Bridge City Center for Youth. He has been charged with with sexual battery, sexual conduct with a person in custody and malfeasance in office, according to a statement from OJJ.

Cennett was hired by OJJ in March 2023 and has been terminated, according to the agency. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.

“We believe that this employee’s arrest is not an anomaly, but a symptom of a systemic problem that cannot be ignored,” Womack said. “The solution is clear: we need community-based prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation so that kids don’t end up in abusive situations.”

Authorities have not provided any additional details on the allegations against Cennett.

Inadequate staffing has been blamed, in part, for prior troubles at the Bridge City Center for Youth, where a series of escapes and fights were reported in 2022. Staff members were injured in some of the incidents, including a fracas that required sheriff’s personnel to be summoned to secure the facility.

Residents at Bridge City were among those transferred to a section of Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola the state reconfigured to handle its most problematic incarcerated juveniles. A lawsuit from youth advocates led then Gov. John Bel Edwards to relocate the teens again to another youth correctional center.

“We simply do not have the transparency and accountability mechanisms to fully grasp the breadth of abuse in youth prisons across Louisiana, and our state leaders have not taken previous claims seriously …” Womack added. “Our facilities should be a place to treat and protect youth with love and care in order to rehabilitate them before they return to their communities.”

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