criminal justice

Today on Louisiana Considered, we hear a roundup of this week’s top political stories. And we learn how New Orleans public officials may or may not be responding to an uptick in crime.

Year-end figures show that Louisiana cities saw the same record surge in homicides in 2021 as many cities in other states, marking a second straight year of rising murder rates. And as the killings have increased, police departments have been struggling to keep up, and the clearance rate — the percentage of cases being solved — has declined in several cities.

Since Hurricane Ida, reports of “dirty and unsafe” conditions at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where 835 people were evacuated, and of communication issues at outer parish jails that were not evacuated despite mandatory orders have advocates once again calling for improved safety measures for people behind bars during a natural disaster.

The Promise of Justice Initiative is fighting for the release of more than 1,500 people in Louisiana prisons.

This year in Louisiana almost 37,000 people became eligible to vote, thanks to a law that reinstated voting rights for formerly incarcerated people...

More than 36,000 convicted felons in Louisiana will regain their right to vote Friday, March 1. One of those people is Checo Yancy.Yancy lost his right to…

About 40 people gathered Wednesday evening at a New Orleans Labor Union hall to coordinate voter registration outreach efforts, and to educate people on...

The criminal justice monitoring group Court Watch NOLA is calling for the end of recording phone conversations between attorneys and their incarcerated...

People currently on parole, probation or in prison can’t vote in Louisiana. A bill from Rep. Pat Smith (D-Baton Rouge) would change that. Once someone is…

LSU Law professor Chris Tyson talks about preparations by President Donald Trump's Justice Department to examine affirmative action policies on college…