Louisiana officials reported significant decreases in prison populations and prison admissions following the first year of the state’s historic criminal justice reforms, said Gov. John Bel Edwards Thursday.
Edwards said the state has seen a 20 percent decrease in the number of people imprisoned for nonviolent crimes and a 47 percent decrease in those sent to prison for drug possession, The Advocate reports.
Previously the incarceration capital of the nation, Louisiana dropped from the No. 1 spot this month, now behind Oklahoma, for the highest rate of prisoners per capita. Edwards credited the 10-bill bipartisan package aimed at reducing the prison population and addressing criminal justice issues with that success.
Department of Corrections Secretary James LeBlanc shared that as of Thursday, the state prisoner population has dipped below 33,000 — the lowest number in 20 years, he said.
Read the full story at The Advocate.
