ENROLLED
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 11
BY REPRESENTATIVES MOORE AND KNOX
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program to
study the connection between mental health issues, homelessness, and the criminal
justice system and the effectiveness of behavioral health courts as an alternative to
the traditional judicial system.
WHEREAS, studies have shown that people who suffer from mental illnesses are
more likely to enter into the criminal justice system when they do not have access to quality
behavioral health services in their communities; and
WHEREAS, national studies indicate that the rates of mental illness are consistently
higher in the criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, approximately half of the United States jail population and over one-
third of the United States prison population were diagnosed with a mental illness in 2020;
and
WHEREAS, between 2018 and 2019, five hundred twenty-one thousand people in
Louisiana received mental health services the previous year; and
WHEREAS, over one-third of Louisiana's total incarcerated adult individuals were
identified as receiving some level of mental health care in 2019; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Legislature enacted the "Mental Health Court Treatment
Act" in 2013 which established mental health court treatment programs; and
WHEREAS, the program allows people with mental illnesses to serve their sentence
on probation if they comply with certain requirements; and
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WHEREAS, only three behavioral health courts have been launched, in the parishes
of Calcasieu, Rapides, and St. Tammany; and
WHEREAS, homeless individuals may also be more likely to have mental health
conditions which may increase their risk of involvement in the criminal justice system; and
WHEREAS, people with severe mental illness may be less able to cope with the
stresses of homelessness or may perpetrate criminal acts that are manifestations of their
illness; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, the rate of homelessness among jail inmates who had been
homeless in the previous year and homeless at the time of incarceration was approximately
7.5 to 11.3 times the annual rate of homelessness in the general population; and
WHEREAS, it is important to understand the needs of Louisiana residents who are
incarcerated and suffer from mental illness in order to understand the impact of untreated
mental illnesses and the criminal justice system and to reduce recidivism.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program to study
the connection between mental health issues, homelessness, and the criminal justice system.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED 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 of the effectiveness,
impact, and operational costs of the behavioral health courts in Calcasieu Parish, Rapides
Parish, and St. Tammany Parish and report its findings and recommendations to the
legislature thirty days prior to the convening of the 2025 Regular Session of the Legislature
of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any university partner in this state that wishes
to contribute to this effort that is not solely focused on mental health, but also criminal
justice, sociology, and political science, shall be ideally considered for participation in this
study.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and
Corrections and the Louisiana Department of Health shall provide information, as necessary,
to produce the report requested in this Resolution.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
judicial administrator of the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and
Specialty Court program 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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