HLS 16RS-1371 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 69
BY REPRESENTATIVE LEGER
CORRECTIONS: Continues the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force to develop
certain sentencing and corrections policy recommendations
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To authorize and direct the continuation of the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force
3 under the jurisdiction of the Louisiana Sentencing Commission and the Department
4 of Public Safety and Corrections, to provide for the membership, powers, and duties
5 of the task force, and to require the task force to report its findings.
6 WHEREAS, according to United States Bureau of Justice Statistics, Louisiana has
7the highest incarceration rate in the United States; and
8 WHEREAS, in recent years, many of Louisiana's neighbors, including Texas, South
9Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, have advanced comprehensive sentencing and
10corrections reforms that protect public safety, hold offenders accountable, and control
11corrections costs; and
12 WHEREAS, over the last several years, Louisiana has taken steps to implement
13cost-effective, evidence-based practices and programs that have worked to control the
14growth in the state's prison population; and
15 WHEREAS, input from all criminal justice stakeholders is essential in the
16development and implementation of cost-effective changes to incarceration in the state; and
17 WHEREAS, House Concurrent Resolution No. 82 of the 2015 Regular Session
18created the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force to conduct an examination of the
19state's sentencing and corrections systems and develop data-driven, research-based policy
20recommendations that reduce correctional populations and associated spending, hold
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1offenders accountable, and reinvest savings into strategies shown to reduce recidivism and
2increase public safety; and
3 WHEREAS, the work of this task force is comprehensive and ongoing and should
4continue until Louisiana has developed the best practices regarding the administration of
5criminal justice in the state of Louisiana.
6 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
7continue the authorization provided for in House Concurrent Resolution No. 82 of the 2015
8Regular Session, regarding the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task Force.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is hereby authorized and directed
10to continue to study, evaluate, analyze, and undertake a comprehensive review of the state's
11adult criminal justice system and, using a data-driven approach, develop sentencing and
12corrections policy recommendations for legislative consideration that will accomplish the
13following three goals:
14 (1) Reduce correctional populations and associated correctional spending by
15focusing prison space on serious and violent criminals.
16 (2) Hold offenders accountable more efficiently by implementing or expanding
17research-based supervision and sentencing practices.
18 (3) Reinvest savings into strategies shown to decrease recidivism, including
19improved reentry outcomes.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that membership of the task force shall be as follows:
21 (1) The governor, or his designee.
22 (2) The chief justice, or his designee.
23 (3) The speaker of the House of Representatives, or his designee.
24 (4) The speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives, or his designee.
25 (5) The chairman of the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice.
26 (6) The president of the Senate, or his designee.
27 (7) The president pro tempore of the Senate, or his designee.
28 (8) The chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary C.
29 (9) The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
30 (10) The president of the Louisiana Sheriff's Association, or his designee.
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1 (11) The president of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, or his designee.
2 (12) A district court judge designated by the chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme
3Court.
4 (13) The state public defender, or his designee.
5 (14) The chairman of the Louisiana Sentencing Commission.
6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretary of the Department of Public Safety
7and Corrections shall serve as the chairperson of the task force.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the membership of the task force
9shall constitute a quorum and shall meet at the call of the chairperson, or upon an affirmative
10vote of a majority of the task force. All members must be notified in writing of all meetings
11at least five days before the date on which a meeting of the task force is scheduled.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Sentencing Commission and the
13Department of Public Safety and Corrections shall provide the administrative assistance and
14staffing as may be necessary in order to enable the task force to accomplish its goals.
15 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall request technical assistance
16from the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a joint private-public partnership between the
17United States Department of Justice and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall direct the Louisiana
19Sentencing Commission, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, and the Office
20of the Judicial Administrator of the Louisiana Supreme Court to provide relevant data and
21staff expertise to the technical assistance providers promptly upon request.
22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall meet no less than six times.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall prepare and submit a final
24report that contains a detailed statement of the findings and policy recommendations of the
25task force to the governor, leadership and ranking members of the legislature, and the chief
26justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court by March 1, 2018. The report shall be made
27available to the public.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be abolished upon
29submission of the report.
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HCR NO. 69
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
2to the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
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 69 Original 2016 Regular Session Leger
Directs the La. Justice Reinvestment Task Force to continue 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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