Louisiana’s Justice Reinvestment Strategy

James (Jimmy) Le Blanc

Secretary

Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections

February 2010, Corrections Today

We all feel the effects of the current economy on a personal level. We see it having an impact in our communities, and we hear about it in our social circles. And while everyone looks for a sign that the economy will get back on track, the effect of what has already been will continue for years to come. This fact can’t be driven home any harder than it is in state governments, where we struggle daily to find ways to stretch the dollars to provide public service. As a result, few states have been pardoned from making drastic changes to address sentencing and corrections policies to manage our criminal justice populations more effectively.

According to a recent report, Significant State Sentencing and Corrections Legislation in 2009, published by the National Conference of State Legislatures, 44 states enacted legislation in 2009 to “fine-tune sentencing laws, expand community-based diversion programs, and create policies and programs aimed at reducing recidivism.” Louisiana was no exception. We passed legislation that allows for a sentence of incarceration to include a period of house arrest; changed statues to allow diversion of probation violators to our Intensive Motivational Program for Alternative Correctional Treatment (a boot camp style program); enacted laws that expand limits on the amount of good time an offender can earn for program participation and to allow for limited restoration of good time previously forfeited through an application and evaluation process; expanded work release eligibility from the final six months to the final year of an offender’s sentence for certain violent offenders and repeat offenders who have served 15 years or more; and enacted a statute that provides for those serving life sentences for drug convictions to be considered for parole after serving a specific term. In each of these situations, we anticipate seeing long-term benefits in the form of cost-containment savings as offenders are successfully released back to our communities through appropriate reentry programs.

As state governments look at big-picture ways to manage the deficits they face and work together to enact legislation that makes a difference, correctional agencies seek out ways to reduce their own operational costs, while maintaining public safety as a primary focus. In 2008, Louisiana began looking at where our dollars are spent and devised a plan to address anticipated shortfalls that would include long-range benefits. First and foremost was the development of reentry programs as the primary initiative to reducing recidivism. We have a plan to open reentry programs in strategic locations throughout the state to provide services to those nearing release. The first step in this plan was implemented with the opening of the Louisiana Transitional Center for Women, a facility focused on reentry programming for female offenders, and the Northwest Regional Reentry Program for male offenders releasing to the northwest region of the state. We recognize that a vital part of our reentry initiative is enhancing our community corrections component and engaging probation and parole officers in the transition process through the provision of post-release services and coordination of community resources. We are creating alternatives in communities through the establishment of day reporting centers, which provide probation and parole staff with alternative intermediate sanctions. To provide the most effective provision for substance abuse treatment, we are converting one facility to a substance abuse treatment center to prepare offenders for the challenges they will face upon release. We are replacing security officers in the majority of our prison towers with video surveillance technology.

The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections developed partnerships with local courts that allow for the use of video equipment for court appearances to reduce the cost of and public risk associated with inmate transportation. We have entered a contract to outsource pharmacy services to our population at a significant cost savings. We found we couldn’t save money on privatizing food service operations, but we are implementing a statewide menu for food services and going to a one- source provider for items not produced within our facilities. As most agencies are doing, we are analyzing the use of staff and considering regionalizing similar administrative functions to improve efficiency and streamline those operations. Where feasible, we encourage volunteer involvement in our facilities to provide programs, and we have offenders work as “peer educators” to enhance our educational and faith-based initiatives. We are implementing an energy-saving conservation plan that would fund the cost of converting to more energy-efficient equipment, supplies and materials.

Louisiana is also determining what can be done to prevent crime and how the state’s sentencing structures contribute to the criminal justice process. The state’s Legislature re-enacted Louisiana’s Sentencing Commission in 2009 to evaluate these objectives and ensure sentencing guidelines are aligned with appropriate sanctions and that meaningful alternatives are available to improve the effectiveness of sentences and increase the safety in Louisiana communities. Louisiana’s Department of Public Safety and Corrections is taking an active role in this process as well.

As we all struggle to find ways to address the effects of the economy personally, we must also face these realities in our careers. Correctional agencies are no exception, and while we must remain focused on the mission of public safety, we are challenged to do it with new approaches and new ideas. In Louisiana, we’re doing it with a committed focus on safer communities and the concept of justice reinvestment.