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Additional Access to Justice Committees

Children’s Law Committee, Co-Chairs Otha “Curtis” Nelson, Jr. and Jesse George

The LSBA Children's Law Committee was established to provide a forum through which attorneys
and judges working with children can promote improvements and changes in the legal system
which benefits children, parents, and the professionals who serve these families. Over the past
several years, the Committee has emphasized the needs of youth in foster care and/or those
experiencing “Child in Need of Care” (CINC) proceedings. The Committee created professionally-
produced videos on foster care and CINC procedures and a mobile app and physical brochure on
the legal rights of young people transitioning out of foster care. In 2019, the Committee
coordinated a presentation for students on the rights of special needs students. Most recently, this
Committee has been focused on how to implement trauma-informed practices in the court system
and successfully advocated for a Children’s Law section under the LSBA’s Opinions Law Service.
Criminal Justice Committee, Co-Chairs Jean Faria and Graham Bosworth

The mission of the Criminal Justice Committee is to recognize and address issues affecting the
Louisiana criminal justice system, provide a forum for discussion, and work with stakeholders to
develop programs and solutions for fair and effective administration of justice. Representing a
diverse group of stakeholders in Louisiana’s Criminal Justice System, the Committee brings
together LSBA members from all sides to carry out its mission.

For seven years, the Criminal Justice Committee has hosted a Criminal Justice Summit in Baton
Rouge to engage criminal justice leaders from across the state in a series of highly interactive work
sessions, focusing on ways to address systemic issues including funding, incarceration rates,
mental health, and sentencing reform. In addition, the Criminal Justice Committee makes
recommendations to LSBA leadership through Resolutions to study issues and make
recommendations for legislative reform.

In 2012, the Committee worked with the Louisiana State Law Institute’s Expungement Reform
Task Force to bring stakeholders together and develop recommendations for a revised
expungement statute that would improve the process and make clearing criminal records available
for more people. In 2016, the committee created resources to assist private attorneys appointed in
criminal cases and increase transparency of the funding crisis in the criminal justice system
(www.lsba.org/cjc). In 2017, the committee focused on the work of the Justice Reinvestment Task
Force created under 2015 HCR 82 to analyze the drivers of Louisiana’s incarceration rates and
provide recommendations to reduce incarceration and use the cost savings to reinvest in areas that
provide for continued reduction in incarceration and recidivism rates. Based on this work, the
committee proposed Resolution 9, approved by the House of Delegates in January 2017.
Additionally, the committee hosted a CLE mini-summit event with members of the Task Force,
including chair Sec. LeBlanc, to discuss their recommendations and legislative bills drafted in
accordance with Resolution 9. In 2019, the Committee hosted a summit to address the prevalence
of mental health conditions experienced by people who come into contact with the criminal justice

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