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