HLS 24RS-311 ENGROSSED
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 11
BY REPRESENTATIVE MOORE
COURTS: Requests a study to make recommendations regarding behavioral health courts
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program to
3 study the connection between mental health issues, homelessness, and the criminal
4 justice system and the effectiveness of behavioral health courts as an alternative to
5 the traditional judicial system.
6 WHEREAS, studies have shown that people who suffer from mental illnesses are
7more likely to enter into the criminal justice system when they do not have access to quality
8behavioral health services in their communities; and
9 WHEREAS, national studies indicate that the rates of mental illness are consistently
10higher in the criminal justice system; and
11 WHEREAS, approximately half of the United States jail population and over one-
12third of the United States prison population were diagnosed with a mental illness in 2020;
13and
14 WHEREAS, between 2018 and 2019, five hundred twenty-one thousand people in
15Louisiana received mental health services the previous year; and
16 WHEREAS, over one-third of Louisiana's total incarcerated adult individuals were
17identified as receiving some level of mental health care in 2019; and
18 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Legislature enacted the "Mental Health Court Treatment
19Act" in 2013 which established mental health court treatment programs; and
20 WHEREAS, the program allows people with mental illnesses to serve their sentence
21on probation if they comply with certain requirements; and
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HCR NO. 11
1 WHEREAS, only three behavioral health courts have been launched, in the parishes
2of Calcasieu, Rapides, and St. Tammany; and
3 WHEREAS, homeless individuals may also be more likely to have mental health
4conditions which may increase their risk of involvement in the criminal justice system; and
5 WHEREAS, people with severe mental illness may be less able to cope with the
6stresses of homelessness or may perpetrate criminal acts that are manifestations of their
7illness; and
8 WHEREAS, in 2008, the rate of homelessness among jail inmates who had been
9homeless in the previous year and homeless at the time of incarceration was approximately
107.5 to 11.3 times the annual rate of homelessness in the general population; and
11 WHEREAS, it is important to understand the needs of Louisiana residents who are
12incarcerated and suffer from mental illness in order to understand the impact of untreated
13mental illnesses and the criminal justice system and to reduce recidivism.
14 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
15urge and request the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program to study
16the connection between mental health issues, homelessness, and the criminal justice system.
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and
18Specialty Court program will survey or invite academic institutions of higher learning or
19policy institutes to present ideas on how they can assist with the study of the effectiveness,
20impact, and operational costs of the behavioral health courts in Calcasieu Parish, Rapides
21Parish, and St. Tammany Parish and report its findings and recommendations to the
22legislature thirty days prior to the convening of the 2025 Regular Session of the Legislature
23of Louisiana.
24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any university partner in this state that wishes
25to contribute to this effort that is not solely focused on mental health, but also criminal
26justice, sociology, and political science, shall be ideally considered for participation in this
27study.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and
29Corrections and the Louisiana Department of Health shall provide information, as necessary,
30to produce the report requested in this Resolution.
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HCR NO. 11
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
2judicial administrator of the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and
4Specialty Court program shall submit one print copy and one electronic copy of any report
5produced pursuant to this Resolution to the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library
6as 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 11 Engrossed 2024 Regular Session Moore
Requests the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program to study and make
recommendations regarding behavioral health courts.
Requests the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program to submit its
findings in the form of a report 30 days prior to the convening of the 2025 Regular Session.
Summary of Amendments Adopted by House
The Committee Amendments Proposed by House Committee on Health and Welfare to
the original bill:
1. Change references from the "office of behavioral health of the La. Dept. of
Health" to "the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program".
2. Provide that the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program
will survey or invite academic institutions of higher learning or policy institutes
to present ideas on how they can assist with the study.
3. Further provide that any university partner wishing to contribute to this effort
shall be considered for participation.
4. Require the La. Dept. of Public Safety and Corrections and the La. Dept. of
Health to provide information as necessary to produce the requested report.
5. Require the submission of a report 30 days prior to the convening of the 2025
Regular Session.
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