VIDALIA — District Attorney Brad Burget said he’s concerned over a new Louisiana law aimed at putting more juvenile offenders in juvenile courts instead of adult ones.

The new law, which will be implemented in phases over the next four years, will make it possible for 17 year olds accused of crimes in Louisiana to not automatically be treated as adults when being prosecuted.

Burget said the new law is a good idea in theory, but it has practical problems — primarily funding. Burget said the state has repeatedly slashed the Office of Juvenile Justice’s budget during the past few years.

Louisiana Budget Project figures indicate juvenile justice figures will be cut by 15 percent starting July 1, following 38 percent in cuts over the last seven years.

“My issue is making sure the state government, who funds juvenile justice, is going to fund it appropriately so services will be available,” Burget said. “With an undetermined number of 17-year-olds entering the system, it will spread the resources there now even thinner.”

Burget said as is, the department doesn’t have enough beds, probation officers, councilors for the adjudicated children.

“I hope they take resources from the Department of Corrections — the adult system — and use the money to help with the juvenile justice system,” he said. “You have to have services for the kids if you are going to put them there.”

Burget said the state switched to the “Missouri Model” for juvenile justice after the youth corrections practices drew condemnation from the Human Rights Watch in 1995. The model implements smaller, regionalized services for juvenile offenders that emphasize proximity to families, conflict resolution and rehabilitation over punishment.

“It’s not a lock them in jail and throw away the key system, it’s more about group homes and counseling,” Burget said. “Over time, the state, with its budgetary problems, has cut and cut and cut it, so they are asked to do more with less and less.”

Burget said for offenses such as murder, he would still have the right to prosecute juveniles as adults.

“That’s only for the most serious of crimes,” he said. “But for crimes like burglary, thefts and all the dumb things kids do, those would be handled by the juvenile court.”

Non-violent crimes involving 17 year olds will be handled by the juvenile justice system starting July 1, 2018, and the violent crimes will move to the system two years after that.