We incarcerate more people per capita than any other state, and yet, we are still suffering from high crime rates.
I created the Criminal Justice Reinvestment Task Force in 2015, the year that marked a decade since Louisiana was named the incarceration capital of the world- a title we still hold. Our bipartisan Task Force discovered that our state’s abnormally high incarceration rates have failed to lead to safer communities.
We’ve identified best practices and proposed proven ways to make Louisiana safe — with smart, successful policies used in neighboring states, like Texas and Alabama. This week and the days to follow, we have the opportunity to convert the Task Force’s recommendations into law.
We started yesterday by passing SB 139, SB 220 and SB 221 in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Other bills will follow, including my bill to reinvest savings in effective, efficient anti-recidivism programming. I shared this message with the Senate Judiciary Committee, which you can watch here.