Louisiana incarcerates people at nearly double the national incarceration rate at 816 people incarcerated per 100,000 residents, putting Louisiana at the top of the list for the highest incarceration rate in the country, according to a report from the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force.
The state’s high incarceration rate is one of many criminal justice issues the 2017 Louisiana Survey touched on. The survey, conducted by the Manship School of Mass Communication’s Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs, revealed strong public support for criminal justice reform.
The survey detailed the support for new policies that may reduce the incarceration rate or the rate at which people return to prison upon release, which is currently one in every three. Among these policies are shorter sentences for those convicted of nonviolent crimes (75 percent support); more drug treatment or rehabilitation programs for people convicted of nonviolent offenses (86 percent support); and abandoning mandatory minimum sentences in favor of more flexibility for judges to determine sentences (72 percent).
Also detailed in the survey is the perceived fairness of the criminal justice system from the perspective of black and white residents. While 71 percent of black residents disagree with the statement “Louisiana’s current criminal justice system is fair,” 41 percent of white residents agree and 44 percent disagree.
Finally, the survey revealed 65 percent of residents believe crime has been on the rise over the past five years.
The results of the survey were released at the beginning of April, just days after Gov. John Bel Edwards announced his 2017 Regular Session agenda to take on criminal justice reform and increase the effectiveness of community policing across the state. Edwards’ plan follows the recommendations of the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force, which explain that if its recommended policies were to be adopted into law, taxpayers would save $305 million and the tate’s prison population would be reduced by 13 percent over the next decade.
Some of the task force recommendations include increasing clarity of sentencing, only using prison beds for those that pose a risk to public safety and removing barriers prisoners face when reentering society.
Edwards’ agenda also includes his support of a number of bills to tackle these recommendations. The Louisiana House committee overseeing criminal justice reform held its first 2017 regular legislative session meeting on Wednesday. The committee is likely to oversee most of the bills regarding criminal justice reform.
Chairman of the committee Rep. Sherman Mack, R-Albany, reminded those on the committee to remain open to ideas.
“While you may be on the other side philosophically or politically, all of these issues deserve debate,” Mack said. “Don’t sacrifice your principles, but try to keep an open mind.”