Because 90% of all prisoners in the United States are in state facilities, the work that states are doing to reduce their prison populations is crucial. Attempting to end mass incarceration necessitates realizing this is a situation requiring not one national solution, but fifty state solutions. Below are current state solutions that could be effectively modeled by other states for meaningful reform.
“Despite this bipartisan pedigree, some of the state’s most prominent Republican officials are foes of criminal justice reform and use them to attack Edwards, who is up for re-election this fall. One of his main challengers, GOP Representative Ralph Abraham, is running firmly against the policies, which he says have “opened the gates” to crime.“
The Appeal: Political Report
August 21, 2019
Read More“The Department of Corrections reported on Friday that in that period, the state's prison population fell by 1,400, down to a total of 31,756 — a number the state has not seen since the 1990s. The savings from lower incarceration costs will allow the state to further invest in initiatives aimed at keeping people from returning, or going, to prison, and supporting crime victims, officials said.“
The Advocate
July 19, 2019
Read More“These injustices could be fixed, criminal justice experts said, if only state and local authorities would improve coordination. What officials appear to have done, instead, is blame each other: The sheriff’s office denied responsibility when reached for comment, blaming the Department of Corrections (DOC). DOC declined to comment citing pending litigation, but in court transcripts it has pointed the finger at the sheriff’s office.“
New Orleans Times Picayune
February 21, 2019
Read More“It’s not really obvious why this is the issue where divisions that often seem so entrenched are breaking down. But the fact that it can still happen in these impossibly divided times is stirring, and makes you wonder whether the same thing can happen on issues beyond criminal justice.“
The Advocate
December 22, 2018
Read More“The amendment takes effect Jan. 1 and will leave Oregon as the only other state allowing split verdicts. It reverses a Jim Crow-era practice that made it easier to imprison non-whites by allowing as few as 10 members of a 12-member jury to convict defendants in felony cases not involving death sentences.“
US News & World Report
November 6, 2018
Read More“Today, a snapshot of the Louisiana prison system shows that the majority of individuals incarcerated are there for violent offenses and that the number of individuals imprisoned for non-violent offenses has dropped 20 percent since the fourth quarter of 2017. There has also been a 7.4 percent decrease in prison admissions.“
Shreveport Times
September 7, 2018
Read More"As part of the reforms, in the past year the state has saved $12.2 million, doubling original projections. Over the next decade, the state is expected to save $262 million, and reinvest 70 percent of the savings into programs and policies to reduce recidivism and support victims of crime. The state has also shed its claim as the incarceration capital of the world this year. Louisiana’s state prison population is at 32,743 this week, the lowest it has been in more than 20 years, and down from its peak of 40,568 in 2012."
The Daily Comet
August 5, 2018
Read More"Criminal justice reform is working in Louisiana. We’ve shed the shameful title of incarceration capital of the world and our prison population is the lowest it has been in 20 years. The state budget is reaping savings beyond initial projections, but our work to create a criminal justice system that is fairer and more efficient has only just begun."
The Advocate
July 11, 2018
Read More"In his first six months in office, Edwards commuted 22 sentences out of 56 sent to him with positive recommendation from the state’s Board of Pardons. Sixteen of the offenders whose applications he granted were serving life without parole."
The Appeal
July 9, 2018
Read More"The report also showed fewer people are being sent back to prison after having their outside supervision revoked, and fewer first-time offenders are being sent away in the first place. And fewer are under probation or parole, which officials attribute to improved good behavior incentives and better monitoring due to reduced caseloads. Another finding is that the legal changes have reduced the average sentence for non-violent crimes."
The Advocate
June 30, 2018
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