HLS 15RS-1118 ORIGINAL
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 82
BY REPRESENTATIVE LEGER
CORRECTIONS: Creates the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force to develop certain
sentencing and corrections policy recommendations
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To authorize and direct the creation of the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force, to
3 provide for the membership, powers, and duties of the task force, and to require the
4 task force to report its findings.
5 WHEREAS, according to United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, Louisiana has
6the highest incarceration rate in the United States; and
7 WHEREAS, in recent years, many of Louisiana's neighbors, including Texas, South
8Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia have advanced comprehensive sentencing and
9corrections reforms that protect public safety, hold offenders accountable, and control
10corrections costs; and
11 WHEREAS, over the last several years, Louisiana has taken steps to implement
12cost-effective, evidence-based practices and programs that have worked to control the
13growth in the state's prison population; and
14 WHEREAS, Louisiana should build upon this promising foundation and chart a
15data-driven course for comprehensive reform; and
16 WHEREAS, input from all criminal justice stakeholders is essential in the
17development and implementation of cost effective changes to incarceration in the state; and
18 WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the public to develop a high-level task force
19to conduct an examination of the state's sentencing and corrections systems and develop
20data-driven, research-based policy recommendations that reduce correctional populations
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HCR NO. 82
1and associated spending, hold offenders accountable, and reinvest savings into strategies
2shown to reduce recidivism and increase public safety.
3 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
4authorize and direct the creation of the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force.
5 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is hereby authorized and directed
6to study, evaluate, analyze, and undertake a comprehensive review of the state's adult
7criminal justice system and, using a data-driven approach, develop sentencing and
8corrections policy recommendations for legislative consideration that will accomplish the
9following three goals:
10 (1) Reduce correctional populations and associated correctional spending by
11focusing prison space on serious and violent criminals.
12 (2) Hold offenders accountable more efficiently by implementing or expanding
13research-based supervision and sentencing practices.
14 (3) Reinvest savings into strategies shown to decrease recidivism, including
15improved reentry outcomes.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force
17is hereby created. The membership of the task force shall be as follows:
18 (1) The governor, or his designee.
19 (2) The chief justice, or his designee.
20 (3) The speaker of the House of Representatives, or his designee.
21 (4) The speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives, or his designee.
22 (5) The chairman of the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
23 (6) The president of the Senate, or his designee.
24 (7) The president pro tempore of the Senate, or his designee.
25 (8) The chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary C.
26 (9) The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
27 (10) The president of the Louisiana Sheriff's Association, or his designee.
28 (11) The president of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, or his designee.
29 (12) A district court judge designated by the chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme
30Court.
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1 (13) The state public defender, or his designee.
2 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretary of the Department of Public Safety
3and Corrections shall serve as the chairperson of the task force.
4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the membership of the task force
5shall constitute a quorum and shall meet at the call of the chairperson, or upon an affirmative
6vote of a majority of the task force. All members must be notified in writing of all meetings
7at least five days before the date on which a meeting of the task force is scheduled.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Public Safety and Corrections
9shall provide the administrative assistance and staffing as may be necessary in order to
10enable the task force to accomplish its goals.
11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall request technical assistance
12from the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a joint private-public partnership between the
13United States Department of Justice and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall direct the Department of
15Public Safety and Corrections and the Office of the Judicial Administrator of the Louisiana
16Supreme Court to provide relevant data and staff expertise to the technical assistance
17providers promptly upon request.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall hold its first meeting no
19earlier than March 1, 2016, and no later than July 1, 2016, at the call of the secretary of the
20Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall meet no less than six times.
22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall prepare and submit a final
23report that contains a detailed statement of the findings and policy recommendations of the
24task force to the governor, leadership and ranking members of the legislature, and the chief
25justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court by March 1, 2017. The report shall be made
26available to the public.
27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be abolished upon
28submission of the report.
29 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
30to the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
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HCR NO. 82
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 82 Original 2015 Regular Session Leger
Directs the creation of the La. Justice Reinvestment Task Force comprising thirteen
members to evaluate, analyze, and undertake a comprehensive review of the state's adult
criminal justice system and, using a data-driven approach, develop sentencing and
corrections policy recommendations for legislative consideration to reduce the prison
population, provide better use of resources, and reduce recidivism.
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