State Initiatives: Louisiana
Louisiana is known for the high crime rate in New Orleans and the nation’s highest incarceration rate, but policymakers in the state are determined to chart a new path that utilizes the full range of research-based corrections approaches to produce more public safety per taxpayer dollar spent.
In a March 2009 announcement regarding a plan for work release, day reporting centers, and reentry initiatives, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal stated:
“Without education, job skills, and other basic services, offenders are likely to repeat the same steps that brought them to jail in the first place. This not only affects the offender, but families and our communities as well. This is a problem that needs to be addressed head-on. We cannot say we are doing everything we can to keep our communities and our families safe if we are not addressing the high rate at which offenders are becoming repeat criminals. By implementing this re-entry program, we can curb the cycle of repeat offenders and thereby reduce the burden on our prisons and help offenders create a place in society that adds value to their lives while keeping our communities safe for our families.”i
In this announcement, Department of Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc noted that multiple state agencies must join with the private sector and faith-based communities so Louisiana “can hammer away at its dubious distinction of having the highest incarceration rate in the world.”ii
With the state facing a substantial budget deficit, policymakers are seeking to identify cost-effective ways to enhance public safety in Louisiana.
i Marc Levin, “What Conservatives Are Saying About Criminal Justice Reform,” Texas Public Policy Foundation, Jan. 2010, http://www.texaspolicy.com/pdf/2010-01-PP02-conservativesaresaying-ml.pdf.
ii Ibid.
-
Engulfed by Environmental Crimes
Posted in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Overcriminalization, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives, Texas: January 28, 2013 by Vikrant P. Reddy
The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently released a report on overcriminalization which I co-authored with my Right On Crime colleague, Marc Levin. The report, titled Engulfed by Environmental Crimes: Overcriminalizaton on the Gulf Coast, has received some attention across the internet after…
:: Read More -
Louisiana Closes Prisons, Saves Taxpayer Dollars
Posted in Louisiana, Priority Issues, Prisons, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: September 21, 2012 by Jeanette Moll
Louisiana state officials have decided to close another prison. The prison closure is the third in a series of closures aimed at decreasing budgetary strains within the Department of Public Safety and Corrections. In the first year alone, closure of those three prisons is estimated to save Louisiana taxpayers almost $9 million.
:: Read More -
New Orleans Seeks to Expand Pretrial Evaluations
Posted in Louisiana, Priority Issues, Prisons, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: September 4, 2012 by Jeanette Moll
After just a few months of operation, prosecutors and court officials agree: pretrial evaluations of defendants should be expanded in New Orleans. The tool, which uses interviews shortly after arrest to objectively evaluate risk factors (or lack thereof), has been credited with…
:: Read More -
Sentencing Serious Juvenile Offenders
Posted in California, Florida, Juvenile Justice, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: June 14, 2012 by Jeanette Moll
An interesting new report released on Michigan juvenile offenders reveals that most states do not use juvenile life-without-parole (“JLWOP”) sentencing. The few that do use it, however, use it often.
:: Read More -
Protecting Public Safety and Reducing Costs in Louisiana
Posted in Louisiana, Priority Issues, Prisons, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: May 16, 2012 by Vikrant P. Reddy
Right On Crime is distributing a short policy brief in Louisiana to encourage legislators and Governor Jindal to pass significant criminal justice reform during the state’s legislative session.
:: Read More -
Louisiana Has Problems,Texas Has Answers
Posted in Louisiana, Prisons, ROC Blog, Texas: June 10, 2011 by Henry Joel Simmons
Garland Robinette from WWL radio in New Orleans recently read about a man who, arrested for the fourth time on marijuana possession, was given a life sentence in prison. With the cost per prisoner in Louisiana as high as it is, this life sentence could potentially cost millions.
:: Read More -
Right On Crime Comes to Louisiana
Posted in Audio, Louisiana, ROC Blog: February 3, 2011 by Vikrant P. Reddy
Right On Crime launched in Lousiana today. Marc Levin, Pat Nolan, and Kevin Kane conducted a conference call with media in the Bayou State…
:: Read More -
Will Governor Jindal Seek to Privatize Two Prisons?
Posted in Louisiana, ROC Blog, State Initiatives: December 12, 2010 by Vikrant P. Reddy
Last week, Governor Bobby Jindal said that he would consider selling the Allen Correctional Center and the Winn Correctional Center in order to help close the $1.6 billion budget shortfall that is facing Louisiana.
:: Read More
View More from Louisiana »