Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Our taxpayers spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on the criminal justice system, with little return on our investment. We want to change that.

In 2017, Louisiana adopted criminal justice reforms that are already reducing our prison population, saving money,and making Louisianans safer. We know justice reinvestment works.

Louisiana is making progress - let's protect those reforms and finish the job.

OUR PRIORITIES

Removing Nonviolent Offenses from Habitual Offender Statute

In Louisiana, people with repeated convictions—often for low-level offenses—can face enhanced penalties up to life in prison. The effects of these harsh sentences and of this so-called Habitual Offender Statute are devastating for a substantial number of Louisianans, who would be better served by treatment and prevention programs, rather than years of incarceration.

Creating a Smarter Parole Eligibility System Where Redemption is Possible

Overly long incarceration is counterproductive, expensive and inhumane. In Louisiana, there are more than 8,800 people sentenced to 30 years or more. The cost of imprisoning people this long dramatically increases as their health declines. Louisiana needs a new, evidence-based approach to keep its prisons and communities safer, and to save taxpayers millions of dollars.

Justice Reinvestment Works

Justice reinvestment is a data-driven approach to criminal justice reform that decreases incarceration, saves taxpayer money on corrections, and reinvests those dollars into initiatives that reduce crime.