My name is Ernest Johnson I’m a parent and an organizer for Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC).
My journey in the juvenile justice system started in January, 2009, just before the inauguration of the first African-American president, when I learned that my fourteen-year-old son was involved in a high profile case in New Orleans. Part of me was joyful about history being made with the election and part of me was sad knowing the circumstances that the judicial system can put families in.
I felt so isolated watching how the media portrayed youth. The outcry on one side town and the silence from the other was an indication of how our community was viewed.
According to the media, parents don’t care about their kids, don’t want to work, and consider education unimportant. Too often we inhale that myth and it becomes toxic.
I thought the youth judicial system would be less harsh than the adult system until we went to ten hearings over a two-year period to determine if this fourteen-year-old child would be transferred to adult court. Finally, we succeeded and my son was not transferred.
Today, because of Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC), the organization that supported and now employs me, I have the opportunity to have a voice for youth and families not only locally, but nationally in partnership with organizations like the Campaign for Youth Justice, which discusses issues such as youth transfers to adult courts. Community Justice Network for Youth has helped my work around disparities in juvenile justice, and demonstrated data-driven alternatives.
Because they advocate for families, I now have a voice. Justice for Families has also given me a chance to funnel the voices and stories of others about the truth about youth incarceration.
We must continue to lift families up in a world that has forgotten that these so-called criminals are still kids. We will continue our journey, striving to replace tears and disappointment with justice and equity.
My name is Ernest Johnson I’m a parent and an organizer for Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children (FFLIC).
My journey in the juvenile justice system started in January, 2009, just before the inauguration of the first African-American president, when I learned that my fourteen-year-old son was involved in a high profile case in New Orleans. Part of me was joyful about history being made with the election and part of me was sad knowing the circumstances that the judicial system can put families in.
I felt so isolated watching how the media portrayed youth. The outcry on one side town and the silence from the other was an indication of how our community was viewed.
According to the media, parents don’t care about their kids, don’t want to work, and consider education unimportant. Too often we inhale that myth and it becomes toxic.
I thought the youth judicial system would be less harsh than the adult system until we went to ten hearings over a two-year period to determine if this fourteen-year-old child would be transferred to adult court. Finally, we succeeded and my son was not transferred.
Today, because of FFLIC, the organization that supported and now employs me, I have the opportunity to have a voice for youth and families not only locally, but nationally in partnership with organizations like the Campaign for Youth Justice, which discusses issues such as youth transfers to adult courts. Community Justice for Youth has helped my work around disparities in juvenile justice, and demonstrated data-driven alternatives.
Because they advocate for families, I now have a voice. Justice for Families has also given me a chance to funnel the voices and stories of others about the truth about youth incarceration.
We must continue to lift families up in a world that has forgotten that these so-called criminals are still kids. We will continue our journey, striving to replace tears and disappointment with justice and equity.