After spending years as , a new report indicates that Louisiana has finally shed this shameful title thanks to the historic package of criminal justice reforms passed last year. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, Louisiana鈥檚 incarceration rate , below that of Oklahoma.
This is a major milestone and a testament to the diverse grassroots coalition that came together to pass proven, evidence-based reforms that are reducing our prison population, saving taxpayers millions, and improving public safety. These reforms reined in mandatory minimum sentences, expanded parole eligibility, and stopped people from getting thrown in jail for court fees they couldn鈥檛 afford to pay. And they are already paying big dividends for our state and its citizens.
In the year since these laws were passed, our total prison population has , and the number of people imprisoned for nonviolent crimes has decreased by 20 percent. Equally promising is that prison admissions for drug possession have dropped by nearly half. And despite the constant fear-mongering of opponents, there are signs that Louisiana鈥檚 is down as well.
But this fight isn鈥檛 over yet. Far too many people are still awaiting trial and some of our most have yet to be reformed. Louisiana鈥檚 incarceration rate is still way above the national average, which means that taxpayers are still footing the bill for a bloated prison system that has devastated communities of color and failed to make us safer.
That鈥檚 why what happened during this past legislative session was so important. After scoring a huge win with the passage of the criminal justice reform package, some people assumed we鈥檇 pack up and go home.
They were wrong. We weren鈥檛 going anywhere.
The grassroots coalition that had helped pass the most sweeping criminal justice reforms in Louisiana鈥檚 history was united and determined to not only protect the progress that we鈥檇 made but build on it. In addition to fending off bills that would have dismantled these vital reforms, we went on offense 鈥� passing legislation to restore the voting rights of thousands of formerly incarcerated people and giving voters the chance to abolish Louisiana鈥檚 abhorrent non-unanimous jury rule.
Throughout, the leaders of this effort were the courageous Louisianans who had been incarcerated themselves. Thanks to their tireless advocacy, Louisiana has finally begun to confront and reckon with its ugly legacy of institutionalized oppression and injustice while building a criminal justice system that鈥檚 worthy of the name.
Importantly, this milestone is just the first of many that we must achieve. The fact that Louisiana has dropped to second in incarceration rates shows that we鈥檙e on the right track, but we shouldn鈥檛 be satisfied with the second worst, so we can鈥檛 let up now.
A number of reforms recommended by the Justice Reinvestment Task Force still haven鈥檛 become law, such as removing nonviolent offenders from the state鈥檚 habitual offender law and extending parole eligibility to those longest serving individuals who have paid their debts to society. An untold number of Louisianans have been locked behind bars awaiting trial for weeks, months and even years 鈥� separated from their families and communities.
And this November 6, Louisiana voters will finally have the chance to abolish the state鈥檚 split-jury rule and end the insane practice of convicting people of a felony without the unanimous consent of a jury. Early voting begins October 23, and it鈥檚 vital that everyone who cares about a fair criminal justice system comes out to vote 鈥測es鈥� to abolish this .
In short, we need to keep working, marching, rallying, advocating and, most importantly, showing up at the polls in support of policies and candidates that will reduce our prison population and combat the racial disparities in our criminal justice system.
