This publication by the Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) explores the impact of Louisiana’s 2017 justice reform legislation resulting from its Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI).
This brief by the Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) explores the impact of Louisiana’s 2017 justice reform legislation resulting from its Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI). Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, CJI assisted Louisiana leaders in implementing its JRI legislation and worked with the Louisiana Women’s Incarceration Task Force to develop policies that improve women’s services in prisons and on community supervision. The brief explores Louisiana’s progress towards the legislation’s four overarching goals: focus prison beds on those who pose a serious threat to public safety; strengthen community supervision; clear barriers to successful reentry; and reinvest a substantial portion of savings. Before JRI, the state had the highest imprisonment rate in the country — nearly double the national average. Since that time, Louisiana has made significant progress to improve public safety through the implementation of evidence-based policies. Outcomes include a 26% decrease in the prison population since 2016 and almost $107 million reinvested in supportive services.