HLS 20RS-981 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 56
BY REPRESENTATIVE BAGLEY
CRIME: Requests the study of homicide offenses in Louisiana with respect to the offender's
prior criminal history
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of
3 Criminal Justice to compile data and information with respect to homicide offenses
4 committed in the last five years in Louisiana, including information on the offense
5 charged, any plea agreement, and dismissal, to determine the number of persons who
6 had an active criminal justice status or prior criminal history at the time of the
7 commission of the offense, to use this data and information to develop theories or
8 trends with respect to a person's active criminal justice status or prior criminal
9 history and its impact on the likelihood of the person's subsequent commission of a
10 homicide, and to evaluate current bail and parole policies in order to focus greater
11 attention and action on habitual violent offenders.
12 WHEREAS, according to a recent study of FBI statistics from 2013 through 2017,
13Louisiana has the highest murder rate in the United States with an average of over eleven
14murders per one hundred thousand people in the state; and
15 WHEREAS, according to the same study, four of the metropolitan areas with the
16highest murder rates were in Louisiana – New Orleans-Metairie, Baton Rouge, Lafayette,
17and Shreveport-Bossier City – with each city having a murder rate twice the national
18average; and
19 WHEREAS, in light of these statistics on Louisiana's highest ranking homicide rate,
20it is imperative that the Louisiana criminal justice system develop a better understanding of
21the nature of these homicide offenses specifically with respect to a person's prior encounter
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HCR NO. 56
1or involvement with the criminal justice system and the role a person's active criminal justice
2status plays in the likelihood of the person's commission of a subsequent homicide offense;
3and
4 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration
5of Criminal Justice (LCLE) is the state agency primarily charged with criminal justice policy
6planning and with conducting research on crime and the criminal justice system in
7Louisiana; and
8 WHEREAS, the Policy Planning Section of LCLE is charged with the identification
9and analysis of crime and criminal justice related problems and the development of a range
10of alternative solutions for consideration by criminal justice and legislative policy makers;
11and
12 WHEREAS, the role of the Policy Planning Section is to provide policy makers with
13objective, research-based information which can be used both in policy consideration and,
14by identifying costs and possible sources of success or failure, policy implementation.
15 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
16urge and request the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of
17Criminal Justice to compile data and information with respect to homicide offenses
18committed in the last five years in Louisiana, including information on the offense charged,
19any plea agreement, and dismissal, to determine the number of persons who had an active
20criminal justice status or prior criminal history at the time of the commission of the offense,
21to use this data and information to develop theories or trends with respect to a person's active
22criminal justice status or prior criminal history and its impact on the likelihood of the
23person's subsequent commission of a homicide, and to evaluate current bail and parole
24policies in order to focus greater attention and action on habitual violent offenders.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement
26and Administration of Criminal Justice shall report its findings, including any legislative and
27policy recommendations, to the legislature prior to the convening of the 2022 Regular
28Session of the Legislature.
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HCR NO. 56
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement
2and Administration of Criminal Justice may seek input, data, and information from criminal
3justice agencies and other relevant entities as is necessary to accomplish its purpose.
4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
5Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice.
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 56 Original 2020 Regular Session Bagley
Urges and requests the La. Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of
Criminal Justice to compile data and information with respect to homicide offenses
committed in the last five years in Louisiana, including information on the offense charged,
any plea agreement, and dismissal, to determine the number of persons who had an active
criminal justice status or prior criminal history at the time of the commission of the offense,
to use this data and information to develop theories or trends with respect to a person's active
criminal justice status or prior criminal history and its impact on the likelihood of the
person's subsequent commission of a homicide, and to evaluate current bail and parole
policies in order to focus greater attention and action on habitual violent offenders.
Requires the La. Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice
to report its findings, including any legislative and policy recommendations, to the
legislature prior to the convening of the 2022 R.S.
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