Louisiana has one of the highest incarceration rates in the nation, largely due to the state’s history of using long prison sentences. According to data from the Louisiana Department of Corrections, as of January 2022, there were approximately 32,000 people in Louisiana prisons and jails. Of those, about 18,000 were serving sentences of 10 years...

This year we have a critical opportunity to advance criminal justice reform in Louisiana. In that effort, Smart on Crime Louisiana has combined efforts with Right on Crime Louisiana to advance a conservative, business-led approach to be both tough and smart on crime. Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the nation, costing taxpayers nearly $700 million per year with poor outcomes. Now is the time to act to reform our state's criminal justice system and invest in evidence-backed alternatives to incarceration for low risk offenders. Reinvestment reform packages have already passed in other states including Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and Mississippi where they have effectively reduced imprisonment, saved billions, and increased public safety.

Our neighbors have paved the way: now Louisiana is positioned to engage in a substantive effort to improve its criminal justice system and to yield the benefits that so many other states are enjoying.