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Louisiana plans to reduce its prison population over the next decade

It’s about time.

Louisiana, the world’s most prolific incarcerator, has passed 10 bills aimed at overhauling its criminal justice system. The package is expected to lower Louisiana’s prison population by 10 percent over the next decade.

You’re watching an episode of “In Session,” a weekly series exploring interesting policy changes on the state level.

Transcript:

PHOEBE GAVIN, ThinkProgress: Did you know that the state of Louisiana currently incarcerates a higher percentage of its population than any country in the world? Well finally, finally something is being done about this.

The governor signed not one, not two, but 10 bills that will completely overhaul Louisiana’s criminal justice system.

GOV. EDWARDS, Louisiana: We needed to be bold, and think big, and get smart on crime

GAVIN: And that’s what they tried to do.

The United States currently incarcerates 2.2 million people, a 500 percent increase over the last 40 years. And Louisiana has had the highest number of incarcerated individuals for the past 12 years. A disproportionate number of them — nearly two thirds — are black.

Louisiana has more people incarcerated than any other state
Louisiana has more people incarcerated than any other state

And then there’s the looming threat of, recidivism. One in three incarcerated Louisianans will end up back behind bars in their lifetime.

GOV. EDWARDS: They’re serving a life sentence six months at a time.

GAVIN: These bills are aiming to change that. Known formally as “The Justice Reinvestment Package”, they cover a huge range of issues. From reducing sentences and extending parole eligibility, to streamlining the reentry process and creating a debt forgiveness program.

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That means fewer formerly incarcerated people will be punished for not being able to pay back debts, such as child support or legal fees, which is a huge cause of recidivism in the criminal justice system. Seventy percent of the money saved from these reforms, an estimated $184 million dollars, will go directly to programs proven to reduce recidivism and support crime victims.

This bill was a welcome change from the gridlock that so many states, including Louisiana, are experiencing today. It passed both the house and senate unanimously.

The state predicts that their prison population will drop by 10 percent over the next 10 years. And because Louisiana’s prison population is disproportionately people of color, these reforms will disproportionately benefit those communities. For a state where one out of every 86 adults is incarcerated, that’s a huge number of lives affected.

Those lives are the reason this historic package was able to succeed. It was a grassroots effort from Louisiana citizens, who descended upon the capitol to share personal stories

FLOZELL DANIELS, JR.: When they locked my son up on trumped up charges, right? It wasn’t to help him or us. Years later when he was murdered, they are not helping us.

NORRIS HENDERSON: This is about what is right and just and fair for our folks.

SYRITA STEIB-MARTIN: I remember the women that I left behind, and they did not deserve some of the punishment that they received.

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GAVIN: There were hundreds more like these, along with thousands of letters sent to public officials. In the state with the highest number of disenfranchised citizens, the people still found a way to make their voices heard.