ENROLLED
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 168
BY REPRESENTATIVES SEABAUGH, GAROFALO, AND THOMPSON
A RESOLUTION
To create the Louisiana Violent Crime Task Force to study and evaluate recent legislative
reforms to the Louisiana criminal justice system and the effects of such reforms on
public safety and crime in Louisiana and to propose future legislation to address and
improve public safety and reduce crime in Louisiana.
WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana, through legislative efforts, underwent significant
criminal justice reform measures in 2016 and 2017; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, Louisiana enacted the "Raise the Age" legislation which
resulted in seventeen-year-olds being transferred from the adult criminal justice system to
the juvenile justice system; and
WHEREAS, in 2017, Louisiana enacted Act Nos. 260, 261, 262, 264, 277, 280, 281,
and 282 which included the stated goals of reducing the Louisiana prison population and
reducing the financial burdens placed upon convicted offenders; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana prison population dropped substantially since the
effective date of criminal justice reforms; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana incarceration rate has been reduced substantially and the
reduction has outpaced the national trends; and
WHEREAS, these recent reforms have resulted in tens of thousands of convicted
felons being returned to the community without access to significant recidivism reduction
programming; and
WHEREAS, these recent reforms also included significant obstacles to revoking the
probation of felony offenders, which has resulted in significant reductions in the number of
offenders whose probation has actually been revoked; and
WHEREAS, on November 1, 2017, the state of Louisiana released one thousand nine
hundred forty-eight offenders early as the direct result of these criminal justice reforms; and
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WHEREAS, there has been little appreciable reduction in recidivism in spite of the
revocation obstacles, the removal of the seventeen-year-old population from the criminal
justice system, and the substantial amounts dedicated to reducing recidivism; and
WHEREAS, juvenile crime and particularly violent juvenile crime have negatively
impacted public safety and endangered our communities at an alarming rate; and
WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana has experienced a rapid and significant rise in
violent crime and homicides since these criminal justice reforms.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby create the Louisiana Violent Crime Task Force to study
and evaluate recent legislative reforms to the Louisiana criminal justice system and the
effects of such reforms on public safety and crime in Louisiana and to propose future
legislation to address and improve public safety and reduce crime in Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Violent Crime Task Force shall
be composed of the following members:
(1) The attorney general of Louisiana, or his designee, who shall serve as chairman.
(2) Five members of the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice
appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
(3) The executive director of the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee on
Parole, or his designee.
(4) The executive director of the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, or his
designee.
(5) The executive director of the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, or his designee.
(6) The state public defender, or his designee.
(7) The executive director of the Louisiana Chiefs of Police Association, or his
designee.
(8) The state director of Louisiana Right on Crime, or his designee.
(9) A representative of the United Way of Southeast Louisiana appointed by the
speaker of the House of Representatives.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the membership of the task force
shall constitute a quorum. The task force shall meet at the call of the chair or upon an
affirmative vote of a majority of the members. All members shall be notified in writing of
all meetings at least five days before the date on which a meeting of the task force is
scheduled.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the duties of the task force shall include, but not
be limited to, all of the following:
(1) Gather and evaluate data and information from relevant stakeholders regarding
the various aspects of the criminal justice system in Louisiana before and after the criminal
justice reforms, including arrests, charges, prosecutions, sentences, probation and parole
activity, incarceration, and recidivism.
(2) Evaluate and develop a plan of action to address areas of concern identified
through the gathering and evaluation of criminal justice data and information.
(3) Recommend any legislation necessary for the 2024 Regular Session of the
Legislature to accomplish all identified goals of true criminal justice reform that reduces
crime and recidivism in Louisiana while improving public safety and strengthening our
communities.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force may request and collect relevant
and necessary data and information to accomplish its purposes from any and all state and
local government agencies, including courts.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the entities from which such information and
data is requested may, to the extent feasible, provide such information and data to the task
force at no cost.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of the attorney general shall provide
staff support to the task force.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall prepare and submit a report
of its findings and policy recommendations to the speaker of the House of Representatives
and the president of the Senate no later than December 31, 2023, and any further reports or
recommendations thereafter as requested by the legislature or as advised by the task force.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to each
of the task force members and the appointing entities provided in this Resolution.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that one print copy and one electronic copy of any
report produced pursuant to this Resolution shall be submitted to the David R. Poynter
Legislative Research Library as required by R.S. 24:772.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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