Louisiana officials say a formerly shuttered juvenile facility in Baker will begin taking in incarcerated teens as early as April, with plans to begin constructing a new facility on the property at the same time.

The Jetson Center for Youth officially closed in 2014 after years of reports of decrepit conditions and widespread abuse. The facility was built in the 1940s as a school for Black children. Officials have tried to reopen it since former Gov. John Bel Edwards was in office .

Amid a shortage of space for incarcerated teens in Louisiana, the Office of Juvenile Justice plans to transport 36 low- to moderate-risk youth into a single building at Jetson known as the "Winter Unit" — housing near the back of the property considered to be in the best shape — within the next few months.

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