Lafayette Juvenile Detention Home Becomes First Facility to Win FBI-LEEDA Award
The facility’s entire command staff completed a three-part executive training series in under eighteen months, costing the local government nearly $2,400 per person.
By Luana Sato ·
The Lafayette Juvenile Detention Home received the FBI-Law Enforcement Executive Development Association’s Agency Trilogy Award on Monday, making it the first juvenile detention facility in the United States to earn the distinction. Lafayette Consolidated Government announced that the award recognizes agencies whose entire command staff completes a specific set of leadership programs.
Administrator Alonzo Thomas, along with operations managers Ronald Irvin and Michael Rush, finished the required training within eighteen months. The three leaders completed the Supervisor Leadership Institute, the Command Leadership Institute, and the Executive Leadership Institute. The total cost for the training was $2,385 per person, paid from the local government’s budget.
Mayor-President Monique Boulet said in a news release that Thomas and his team have worked hard to bring stability and professionalism to the facility. Thomas said the training helped the staff bring more programming options to the detention home. He noted that all courses were held in person, with Irvin and Rush training in Lafayette and Thomas attending sessions in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Thomas said the curriculum focused on improving listening and teaching skills, as well as mentoring. The courses introduced newer leadership methods, including the use of artificial intelligence as a workplace tool rather than a source of fear. Following the training, Thomas started a mentoring program where supervisors let employees fill in as supervisors for short periods. He said the program has been tested with a few employees and improved staff morale.
“We’re not just going to throw someone into a role, but we are showing them the way,” Thomas said. He explained that the change in leadership style has also affected the daily lives of the youths in the facility. Thomas said he expanded programming to fill about five hours of the day for the young people. He listed a cooking and budgeting class, Wellness Wednesdays for life skills like resume writing, and Mental Health Mondays for group sessions.
The facility also features a garden and a recording studio. Thomas said youths use the studio to record music and podcasts about their lives and their plans to avoid returning to detention. He said the goal is to keep the youths engaged so they become more productive. “We can’t just say they’re criminals and lock them in their cells,” Thomas said. “That’s not going to be beneficial towards them.”
Thomas said strong leadership directly impacts the safety and accountability of the facility. The FBI-LEEDA organization provides law enforcement leadership training and education to agencies across the country.
