More crisis in Louisiana Prison system

Louisiana at a Glance
Total Incarcerated (Prison and Jail)
71,647
Prison Population
39,780
- Rate per 100,000
881
Jail Population
31,867
- Rate per 100,000
704
Probation Population
42,259
Parole Population
25,683


Courtesy: the Sentencing project



Louisiana's prison system is facing a crisis. But it is not the crisis that you might think. Louisiana is repeatedly ranked with the highest incarceration rate in the country. Now, one in every 26 adults in Louisiana are under correctional control, at a cost to taxpayers of $670 million each year.

You might think that in these tough economic times, scarce funds would be going to lock up the most hardened criminals. However, nearly four in ten of Louisianans who get released from prison return there within three years, often because of technical parole violations.

The high costs of incarceration would be worthwhile if we were taking truly dangerous criminals off the streets. But that is often not the case. In 2009, prisoners convicted of non-violent offenses made up 82 percent of the 17,223 offenders admitted to Louisiana prisons.

But the good news is that leaders from both parties in the Legislature are working with Governor Jindal to enact several important reforms. These reforms will focus state spending on the truly dangerous criminals, while placing the low-risk offenders under mandatory community supervision. These reforms will keep the public safe while cutting the overall cost of corrections.



These leaders have introduced House Bill 415, Senate Bill 202, House Bill 416, House Bill 106, House Bill 414, and House Bill 138, which will:


Require swift and certain punishment of offenders who violate the conditions of probation or parole, and strengthen the agencies that oversee them;
Ensure prison beds are available for offenders who pose a real danger to the community by placing low-risk offenders in mandatory community supervision, holding them accountable and helping them avoid future criminal behavior; and
Improve transparency of the system for victims of crime.