Louisiana puts more of its residents behind bars than any other state in America, but Gov. John Bel Edwards says the state’s prison population could be reduced by 13% in 10 years if the Legislature enacts reforms approved by the Justice Reinvestment Task Force today.
The USA Today Network reports Edwards testified before the task force, saying Louisiana’s reputation as the incarceration capital of the U.S. has long been a stain on the state and a drain on its communities.
“It’s not a reflection of who we are and what we stand for,” Edward said. “We now have a road map that will allow us to keep our streets safe while shrinking our bloated prisons. It is now time for us to act. Our people aren’t inherently more evil. It’s policy driven.”
The task force’s recommendations include revising drug penalties to target higher-level offenses, consolidating laws on property crimes and raising the threshold for felony charges, among others.
Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc said he believes there is broad bipartisan support for the package approved by the 14-person task force, of which he is a member, even in in a law-and-order state like Louisiana.
“In my 40-plus years in corrections, I’ve never seen such bipartisan public support and call for reform. The tide is changing,” LeBlanc said at recent task force meeting. “Leaders and lawmakers are realizing that our state’s current response to crime, especially nonviolent crime, has broken families apart and taken parents away from their children, creating a revolving door of crime.”
