HLS 23RS-1929 ORIGINAL
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 174
BY REPRESENTATIVE FREEMAN
CORRECTIONS: Requests a study of the educational programs in the prisons and jails of
this state
1 A RESOLUTION
2To create a task force to study both the academic and vocational educational programs
3 within prisons and jails in Louisiana.
4 WHEREAS, on June 30, 2022, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections held
5approximately twenty-five thousand six hundred seventy-seven individuals in its custody,
6in addition to one thousand three hundred ninety-five women; and
7 WHEREAS, approximately fourteen thousand one hundred fifty-seven individuals
8are housed in parish jails; and
9 WHEREAS, six percent of incarcerated individuals are in transitional work
10programs; and
11 WHEREAS, in 2021, there were twelve thousand, one hundred ninety-one new
12admissions to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, of which thirteen percent
13were under twenty-five years of age, twelve percent were over fifty years of age, ten percent
14were women, and twenty-one percent were for violent crimes; and
15 WHEREAS, of these new admissions, sixty-five percent were parole eligible and
16ninety-one percent were eligible for good time parole supervision; and
17 WHEREAS, in 2021, fifty-two parishes sentenced at least fifty individuals to prison,
18thirty-three parishes sentenced at least one hundred individuals to prison, and sixteen
19parishes sentenced at least two hundred individuals to prison; and
20 WHEREAS, in 2021, the nine leading parishes relative to sentencing are Caddo
21Parish with one thousand one hundred six, Jefferson Parish with nine hundred thirty-six, St.
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1Tammany with six hundred sixty-nine, Calcasieu with sixty hundred twenty, East Baton
2Rouge with five hundred ninety-nine, Bossier and Ouachita with five hundred twelve,
3Livingston with four hundred eighty-six, and Orleans with four hundred sixty-one; and
4 WHEREAS, in 2021, there were twelve thousand five hundred seventy-two
5individuals released from state custody; and
6 WHEREAS, the overwhelming majority of those individuals return to where they
7consider to be home or where they have opportunity and support; and
8 WHEREAS, in 2021, forty-nine parishes received over fifty individuals from
9custody, thirty-three parishes received at least one hundred individuals, sixteen parishes
10received over two hundred individuals; and
11 WHEREAS, of those sixteen parishes, Orleans received nine hundred eighty-three
12individuals, Caddo received nine hundred eighty-one individuals, Jefferson received nine
13hundred forty-seven individuals, East Baton Rouge received seven hundred forty-nine
14individuals, St. Tammany received six hundred sixty-six individuals, and Ouachita received
15five hundred twelve individuals; and
16 WHEREAS, Louisiana recidivism rates, including revocations of supervision, vary
17based on from where an individual was released, with the highest rates of return to custody
18being from parish jails at thirty-two percent, transitional work programs at twenty-eight
19percent, and state prisons at twenty-five percent over three years; and
20 WHEREAS, this disparity in recidivism rates has remained consistent across years
21of release, and the reduced rate for those who have obtained an education has reached
22sixteen percent; and
23 WHEREAS, individuals listed under "education" by the department as having
24attained a credential account for less than ten percent of those released between 2007 and
252020; and
26 WHEREAS, the recidivism rate of these individuals has steadily improved over time
27between 2007 and 2012, averaging an eleven percent return to prison in the first year and a
28reduction to five percent between the years of 2019 and 2020; and
29 WHEREAS, the MacKinac Center for Public Policy performed a comprehensive
30analysis of correctional education between the years of 1980 and 2022 and documented the
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1impacts of various levels of education, including adult basic education reducing recidivism
2by six point three percent over three years, and increasing employment by one point four
3percent; and
4 WHEREAS, a completed secondary education, including a GED, reduces recidivism
5by seven point one percent and increases employment by one point two percent over three
6years; and
7 WHEREAS, vocational education reduces recidivism by nine point three percent and
8increases employment by five point five percent over three years; and
9 WHEREAS, a college education reduces recidivism by twenty-seven point seven
10percent and increases employment by ten point five percent over three years; and
11 WHEREAS, the RAND Corporation published a study in 2013 that showed every
12one dollar spent on correctional education saved the public four to five dollars in police,
13court, and correctional costs, in addition to saving the hardships inflicted through crime; and
14 WHEREAS, educated individuals in jails and prisons create a ripple effect of role
15models and mentors, which reduces disciplinary infractions and provides a more capable
16incarcerated workforce; and
17 WHEREAS, on average, half of incarcerated individuals have two school-aged
18children, who have a higher risk of incarceration due to poverty, trauma, and family
19disruption; and
20 WHEREAS, parents and children who have studied together, despite physical
21distance, have reported feelings of mutual inspiration from one another; and
22 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Education has reinstated the Pell Grant
23program for incarcerated students, increasing the viability of post-secondary education; and
24 WHEREAS, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections created an advisory
25committee to implement a Pell Grant program; and
26 WHEREAS, incarcerated individuals participate in a wide range of programming that
27varies between institutions, including support from outside volunteers, temporary
28arrangements, and distance learning courses; and
29 WHEREAS, the 2022-2023 budget for the Department of Public Safety and
30Corrections allocates one percent of the budget, five point eighty-six million dollars, for
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1rehabilitation, including forty-three staff education positions out of four thousand four
2hundred eighty-seven employees, which is an average of five individuals per institution; and
3 WHEREAS, it is unclear how many educational staff exist across the many local jails
4in Louisiana; and
5 WHEREAS, the Justice Reinvestment Initiative provided a reallocation of funds into
6rehabilitative programming; and
7 WHEREAS, those funds have been reduced and been the subject of dispute; and
8 WHEREAS, five percent of the incarcerated population are women, who are spread
9throughout multiple facilities in much less concentration than men with a different range of
10programming opportunities; and
11 WHEREAS, good time credits are granted upon completion of certain educational
12programming, so that prison time can be converted into parole time; and
13 WHEREAS, the Voice of the Experienced and Daughters Beyond Incarceration are
14two organizations with deep connections with Louisiana's incarcerated individuals that are
15committed to their rehabilitation and restoration of families; and
16 WHEREAS, Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans both offer
17bachelor degree programs in Louisiana prisons and Northshore Technical College provides
18associate degree programs in Louisiana prisons.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
20Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request a commission be convened to study
21the landscape and efficacy of correctional educational programming in Louisiana jails and
22prisons.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be composed of the
24following members:
25 (1) The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, or his
26designee.
27 (2) Two representatives from the Department of Public Safety and Corrections with
28experience in educational programming, designated by the secretary of Department of Public
29Safety and Corrections.
30 (3) The executive director of the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, or his designee.
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1 (4) Two representatives from the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, designated by the
2executive director of the association.
3 (5) Two formerly incarcerated individuals who pursued or completed a
4post-secondary education while incarcerated, designated by the speaker of the House of
5Representatives after consulting with the stakeholders.
6 (6) Two formerly incarcerated individuals who earned a GED while incarcerated,
7designated by the speaker of the House of Representatives after consulting with the
8stakeholders.
9 (7) Two individuals with experience providing education in corrections within the
10past five years, designated by the speaker of the House of Representatives after consulting
11with the stakeholders.
12 (8) Two family members of currently incarcerated individuals participating in
13educational programs, designated by the speaker of the House of Representatives after
14consulting with the stakeholders.
15 (9) Two members of the Louisiana Board of Regents, designated by the chairman
16of the Board of Regents.
17 (10) Two members of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, designated by the
18secretary of the Workforce Commission.
19 (11) One representative from the governor's office, designated by the governor.
20 (12) The chairman of the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice,
21or his designee.
22 (13) The chairman of the House Committee on Education, or his designee.
23 (14) The chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, or his designee.
24 (15) A representative from Daughters Beyond Incarceration, designated by the
25executive director of the organization.
26 (16) A representative of Voice of the Experienced, designated by the executive
27director.
28 (17) One representative from Tulane University, designated by the president of
29Tulane University.
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1 (18) One representative from Loyola University New Orleans, designated by the
2president of Loyola University New Orleans.
3 (19) One representative from the Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges,
4designated by the system president.
5 (20) One representative from Northshore Technical Community College, designated
6by the chancellor.
7 (21) One representative from Louisiana State University, designated by the president
8of Louisiana State University.
9 (22) One representative from Southern University System, designated by the
10president of Southern University.
11 (23) One representative from the Vera Institute of Justice, designated by the
12president of the organization.
13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall provide a comprehensive
14report to the Louisiana Legislature with all of the following information:
15 (1) Programmatic listings per facility, inclusive of brief descriptions of the number
16of individuals served, demographic data, length of program, number of individuals on a wait
17list, and good time earned per program completion.
18 (2) For GED and post-secondary programs that are graded or scored, the average
19scores and grade point averages of participants, including the transferability of certificates
20and credits to institutions beyond incarceration.
21 (3) The number and type of vocational and academic credentials, broken down by
22demographics and institution.
23 (4) Experience, credentials, and turnover rate of program instructors.
24 (5) Assessment of academic and career advice in Louisiana's jails and prisons,
25provided through outside programs, the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, or the
26sheriffs.
27 (6) Overview of restrictions on program participation due to the type of conviction,
28length of sentence, place of confinement, gender disparity, or disciplinary infractions.
29 (7) Overview of program attrition by the type of program, reason for
30non-completion, demographic information, gender, and place of confinement.
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1 (8) Post-release educational enrollment.
2 (9) Post-release vocational certification.
3 (10) Post-release employment.
4 (11) Any other indicators of success as determined by the commission.
5 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state Department of Education shall provide
6staff support to the task force.
7 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to each
8of the task force members and the appointing entities provided in this Resolution.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that one print copy and one electronic copy of any
10report produced pursuant to this Resolution shall be submitted to the David R. Poynter
11Legislative 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)]
HR 174 Original 2023 Regular Session Freeman
Creates a task force to study both the academic and vocational educational programs within
prisons and jails of this state.
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