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Governor Landry Calls for Extraordinary Legislative Session Focused on Criminal Punishment and Firearm Access

Posted on: Feb 19, 2024
News: Committees
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On February 8, 2024, Governor Jeff Landry called for an extraordinary session of the Louisiana Legislature. The extraordinary session is set to begin on February 19 and last until March 6. The governor’s proclamation for the session provides a list of twenty-four items to be covered by the session, almost all focused on criminal prosecution and punishment.

For example, the items include restrictions on parole eligibility and good time credits, and increased penalties for certain crimes. The items also call for permit-less carrying of concealed weapons, and some immunity for persons authorized to carry concealed handguns.

The Governor’s list has a particular focus on the punishment of children: he calls for expanding access to juvenile delinquency records, lowering the age of trying children as adults, and expanding the list of crimes for which a child can be incarcerated by the Department of Public Safety & Corrections.

The non-profit organization Voice of the Experienced has published a breakdown of all the proposed bills for the extraordinary session, which can be followed on their bill tracker.

Two bills, HB 2 and SB6, seek to limit the liability of law enforcement officers and departments for officers’ “discretionary” acts. It is unclear what impact this would have on civil rights litigation, given that most Louisiana civil rights litigation relies on federal causes of action like 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

Governor Landry suggested that his goal of the session is to make “Louisiana a safer state for all.” Groups like the ACLU of Louisiana have argued, however, that the proposed policies “directly contradict well-established research regarding criminal justice in the state” and will cost millions of dollars and increase recidivism without reducing crime.

Louisiana already has a higher incarceration rate than any democratic country on earth, and almost any state in the United States. The Governor’s proposals, for better or worse, would likely sharply increase that rate.

About the Author...

William Most
Most & Associates
Civil Rights Committee Chair