Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana (JACL)
The Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana (JACL), founded in 2011, describes itself as working “to eliminate obstacles to opportunity for people harmed by the systemic racism and economic impacts of the criminal legal system through policy advocacy, public education, and legal representation.”
While this mission may appear morally neutral at first glance, a thorough investigation of JACL’s activities and public statements reveals a deep entanglement with modernist social agendas, particularly concerning LGBT gender ideology and reproductive health policies. These stances directly conflict with traditional Catholic teachings, rendering JACL unsuitable for Catholic donations, let alone direct funding from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) via the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).
JACL received a CCHD grant in the 2023-2024 year for $65,000 in funding.
Promotion of Transgender Ideology
JACL’s commitment to the LGBT agenda is evident in its public statements and initiatives. On January 9th, 2018, JACL published an article titled “Lesson 101: The Criminal Justice Experiences of Transgender People” on its website. This article discusses the challenges faced by transgender individuals within the criminal justice system and advocates for mandatory comprehensive sensitivity training for law enforcement and correctional staff on LGBT issues, with a particular emphasis on the needs of “transgender” individuals.
Key excerpts include:
“Coming to identify as trans can manifest as a personal revelation at any point in life, whether at 8 or 80 years old. It can create both confusion and fear. With social and political consequences in mind, trans people must rectify their personhood in the face of rejection from family, discrimination, and legal obstacles.”[Emphasis added]
“How we fix it: Officers should be given comprehensive sensitivity training on all LGBT issues, emphasizing care to transgender issues and their unique needs. The Washington D.C. Metropolitan PD offers an early example (2007) in establishing specific protocols for interacting with trans people that included procedural guidelines regarding stop-and-frisk, the transfer of arrestees, and the appropriate way to process transgender people with regard to custody. This may include establishing a LGBT liaison for departments to offer a voice in guiding appropriate policy. ” [Emphasis added]
- “Prison staff, much like law enforcement officers, should be required to undergo sensitivity training. Prison facilities should also update their policies to reduce harassment from correctional officers and administrators.” [Emphasis added]
JACL’s social media presence continues to underscore its commitment to transgender advocacy. On October 22nd, 2024, JACL posted on its Facebook page, stating that “greater resources need to be funneled into direct services that help [trans people] recover from the criminal justice system,” accompanied by a trans pride flag image reading “TRANS RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS.”
“In his first week in office, Trump wasted no time signing a wave of executive orders targeting immigration, diversity programs, climate policies, and more. And we don’t expect him to stop anytime soon.”
The accompanying graphic listed key actions, including “Reversing protections on gender identity.”
This engagement with political activism beyond its stated mission demonstrates JACL’s alignment with causes that in no way should be promoted with Catholic funding of any sort.
Involvement in Reproductive Health Policy
In 2021, JACL was part of a taskforce created to implement House Concurrent Resolution 85 (HCR-85) in Louisiana, which aimed to study and expand reproductive health care for incarcerated women, including access to contraception.
According to The Louisiana Public Health Institute‘s HCR-85 Report as well as Lift Louisiana‘s “Incarcerated Women” Page, the HCR-85 taskforce included JACL.
The resolution’s focus on contraception and reproductive health, as detailed in the report, states:
“Beyond pregnancy and the perinatal period, incarcerated women also require specific services to maintain their reproductive health, including services related to menopause and contraception (particularly pre-trial). Interruptions to contraception coverage may lead to unintended pregnancies, as well as hormonal irregularities and changes in a woman’s cycle. Only six agencies provided data on contraception prescriptions for incarcerated women, with the majority reporting zero prescriptions.” [Emphasis added]
“Providing prescriptions for contraception is particularly important in jails, where women may only be incarcerated for short period of time. Interruptions in their access to prescriptions may result in unintended pregnancies after their release. In addition, certain contraception medicines are also used to regulate a woman’s menstrual cycle, reduce bleeding, or address hormonal irregularities. Responding jails have different policies regarding providing contraception to incarcerated women.” [Emphasis added]
Based on the evidence presented, JACL demonstrates a clear commitment to advancing progressive social agendas, particularly concerning transgenderism and reproductive health. Its advocacy for transgender sensitivity training, promotion of LGBT ideology on social media, engagement with left-wing political activism, and involvement in policies providing contraceptive services for incarcerated women all collectively reflect a consistent prioritization of ideologies that are fundamentally at odds with Catholic doctrine.
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