HLS 21RS-3191 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 101
BY REPRESENTATIVE JAMES
CRIMINAL/SENTENCING: Creates a commission to study the procedures for processing
felony sentences and calculating incarceration release dates of persons in the custody
of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To create and establish the Incarceration Release Date Commission to study the procedures
3 for processing sentences imposed after a criminal conviction and the procedures for
4 calculating incarceration release dates of those persons committed to the custody of
5 the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, and to report the findings of the
6 commission to the legislature prior to the convening of the 2022 Regular Session of
7 the Legislature of Louisiana.
8 WHEREAS, under Louisiana law there are a number of factors that may impact the
9sentence of a person convicted of a criminal offense, including but not limited to eligibility
10for probation, parole, and earned compliance credits and eligibility for diminution of
11sentence for good behavior or credits for participation in certain programs; and
12 WHEREAS, the application of these factors is not uniform as each year the
13legislature makes changes to these laws and the version of the law that applies to a particular
14person often times depends upon the law in effect at the time the crime was committed or
15at the time the person was convicted or sentenced; and
16 WHEREAS, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections is the state agency
17responsible for the custody and care of approximately thirty-five thousand adult offenders
18and is the agency tasked with calculating the length of the offender's sentence, taking into
19account the various factors that impact the length of the sentence; and
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HCR NO. 101
1 WHEREAS, with more than half of that population being housed in various parish
2facilities and work release centers across the state, and the remainder being housed in the
3state's nine correctional facilities, it is important for the Department of Public Safety and
4Corrections to have centralized, accurate, and up-to-date information on all of the offenders
5committed to its custody; and
6 WHEREAS, in 2017, the legislative auditor evaluated the Department of Public
7Safety and Corrections' management of offender data, including processes for ensuring the
8accuracy of that data; and
9 WHEREAS, in the audit, the legislative auditor recognized the efforts of legislators
10and criminal justice stakeholders in working toward prison reform and stated that the success
11of these reform efforts is largely dependent upon having accurate and complete information
12on Louisiana's offender population; and
13 WHEREAS, it is important for the Department of Public Safety and Corrections to
14have strong policies and procedures to effectively manage offender data, to track offender
15locations, to calculate offender release dates, and to ensure the accuracy of this information.
16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
17create the Incarceration Release Date Commission to study the procedures for processing
18sentences imposed after a criminal conviction and the procedures for calculating
19incarceration release dates of those persons committed to the custody of the Department of
20Public Safety and Corrections, and to report the findings of the commission to the legislature
21prior to the convening of the 2022 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.
22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study commission shall be comprised of the
23following members:
24 (1) The chairman of House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice, or his
25designee.
26 (2) One member of the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice,
27appointed by the chairman.
28 (3) The chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary B, or his designee.
29 (4) The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary C, or his designee.
30 (5) A representative from the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association.
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HCR NO. 101
1 (6) A representative from the Louisiana District Judges Association.
2 (7) A representative from the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association.
3 (8) A representative from the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.
4 (9) A representative from Louisiana Public Defender Board.
5 (10) A representative from the Louisiana District Attorneys Association.
6 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission may seek input, information,
7and data from any persons, agencies, entities, or stakeholders that it deems necessary to
8fulfill the purposes of this Resolution.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Public Safety and Corrections
10shall provide staff support to the commission
11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
12executive director of the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, the president of the Louisiana
13District Judges Association, the executive director of the Louisiana Clerks of Court
14Association, the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, the chairman
15of the Louisiana Public Defender Board, and the executive director of the Louisiana District
16Attorneys Association.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Incarceration Release Date Commission
18shall submit one print copy and one electronic copy of any report produced pursuant to this
19Resolution to the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library as required by R.S. 24:772.
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 101 Original 2021 Regular Session James
Creates the Incarceration Release Date Commission to study the procedures for processing
sentences imposed after a criminal conviction and the procedures for calculating
incarceration release dates of those persons committed to the custody of the Dept. of Public
Safety and Corrections, and to report the findings of the commission to the La. legislature
prior to the convening of the 2022 R.S.
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