In Defense of Louisiana’s Criminal Justice Reforms

Pelican Institute’s CEO, Daniel Erspamer, writes in The Hayride, about Louisiana’s criminal justice reforms and why they were a strong step in the right direction. He starts by identifying possible cost savings, but also identifies the broad coalition that was involved in the efforts to begin with.

Fiscal conservatives should also recognize and applaud the cost savings associated with the reform package, a package conceived and supported and in some cases authored by many conservative Republicans in the Louisiana legislature. These reforms are estimated to save the taxpayers around $262 million in incarceration expenses, reallocating $184 million into programs reduce the incidence of repeat offenses and support victims of crimes, all the while, reducing our prison population by 10% over the next 10 years.

Erspamer goes on to identify similar efforts in other southern, conservative, states that are worth mentioning. It is well worth remembering that Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the coutnry and it is not close. You can read the full article here.