Letter: Louisiana justice needs reform

If we reduce the prison population to the national average we could save at least three-quarters of a billion dollars per year off the state budget. (And, we would still have the highest rate of imprisonment in the world.)

Our population is no different from other big city-states, so there is no reason our prison population should be 50 percent higher than the national average, as it now is. Break up the caging of Louisiana residents and the prosecutorial practices that eliminate the ability of a man, black or white, to get a fair and impartial trial. Reduce the Draconian sentencing and stop treating every third-time shoplifter or marijuana-user like he’s Telly Hankton, once described by police as one of New Orleans’ most-dangerous criminals.

We would discover how reducing prison population reduces the crime rate and save part of the $2 billion per year we spend on it.

If we can reform our school system, we can reform our criminal justice system. Our schools were the worst in the country, but no longer. Our imprisonment is the worst in the country, and doesn’t have to be.

Edward Ray Young

investor contractor

New Orleans

Comments

1) Comment by mh1949 - 25/01/2013

I agree with Mr. Young. The prison population needs to be reduced. best way to do this is to carry out the executions of those on death row in a timely fashion. Why feed and care for them for 20-25 years after sentencing. They put themselves there not I. Do the crime do the time.

2) Comment by bourbon-soda - 25/01/2013

Louisiana is actually distinctive if not unique in its population mix. The following is merely a mathematical exercise with published descriptive information, and does net demonstrate causation. Using Catholicism as a crude surrogate for Southern European, at least in the South (it would not work for the country as a whole; too many Poles, Irish, etc), and regressing, using Excel, these two heritages against incarceration rates results in < [incarceration rate] = 228 + [10.5 x % African-American] + [10.3 x % Catholic] in the southern states. Louisiana has by far the largest sum or product (your choice) of admittedly overlapping African-American and Catholic (crudely southern-European) heritage in its population. That the cause of the incarceration rate is not Catholic theology, is suggested by a negative correlation between Catholicism and incarceration in the US as a whole, where there is a larger proportion of Northern European Catholics.

3) Comment by bourbon-soda - 25/01/2013

The opening sentence of the 2nd paragraph is erroneous and illogical. "Our population is no different from other big city-states," actually, if by "our" is meant "Louisiana," the population is different from that of many states ("city-states" have not existed in any significant number for some centuries). Since the promise is false, it is not a reliable basis for the conclusion "so there is no reason our prison population should be 50 percent higher than the national average." Incarceration proportions should be a dependent variable, dependent on an independent variable, in this case, the crime rate, not on whether a population differs or not from another population.

4) Comment by agagent - 25/01/2013

Stupid liberals. The decrease in crime rates in recent years are related to armed law-abiding citizens and keeping violent criminals in prison. Violent crimes will increase when violent criminals are released and law abiding citizens are disarmed .

5) Comment by Whatnow - 25/01/2013

I'm with firefly225 and tradewinns, jail is just a break from crime. Legalizing drugs would just bring with it a lot more laws, such as not driving while stoned, working while stoned and more regulations. I certainly wouldn't want to drive a car that was put together by a bunch of potheads. It's why I won't buy a car made by Government Motors now, I mean GM. Until the laws on the books are changed, drugs are still against the law. A lot of people who indulge certainly don't find anything wrong with partaking in illegal drugs, so their point is moot. I think they need to make the laws tougher to curtail criminals. I certainly would rather being number one in the country for the highest rate of imprisonment than being number one in crime. Build more jails and keep them off the streets and keep them there longer without all the frills. Quit coddling criminals.

6) Comment by DMJ - 25/01/2013

Free everyone in jail for a non-violent drug offense. Increase penalties for violent crimes. Problem solved.

7) Comment by firefly225 - 25/01/2013

Nice one, tradewinns. If prison life was ROUGH and included HARD LABOR, less people would risk going. It's obviously too comfortable for them now.

8) Comment by Bighug - 25/01/2013

About half the inmates in LA prisons are there for violations directly associated with drugs, such as selling or possession. Many of the other half are in primarily because of thefts to support a drug habit. Countries that have legalized drugs have lower usage rates than the ones where it is illegal. I don't take illegal drugs now, and wouldn't start if they were legalized.

9) Comment by On_The_Fence - 25/01/2013

Oh, by all means...let's. Let's have Hummingbird Wing fights, too. We can tie their wings to each other and bet on how long it'll take to tear each other apart.

10) Comment by [e-mail] - 25/01/2013

Some things could be legalized, like cockfighting, or given local community service instead of cluttering up the justice system. I don't know how many, if any, people are on trial or in jail for such things but if there's one then that's one too many. (Not that I care one way or another about cockfighting per se, it's just an example of something pushed by special interest groups)

11) Comment by tradewinns - 25/01/2013

while i agree with mr. young on reducing our prison population, i'm at the other end of the spectrum. instead of releaseing criminals back on the street to continue their lives of crime on law abiding citizens, we should enforce the law at a faster rate and make prison more miserable. those convicted of capital punishment crimes should be executed forthwith. all others will be forced, physically if necessary, to work HARD physical labor. half of the prisoners can carry heavy rocks to the other side of the yard, the other half can bring thwem back. no time off for any reason, no visitors, no holidays, no luxuries of any type. currently prison is an inconvience. guards are as afraid, if not more so, than the prisoners. when the prisoners do get out, they should never want to return. even die before returning, which works out fine also. the current system obviously is not working, look at your own figures, time to try something else, and not more liberal failing programs. none have worked yet.

12) Comment by [e-mail] - 25/01/2013

It's obvious that a large part of our citizens just don't know how to make choices; I don't think that legalizing drugs will help anything even if you start giving them away like the unsuccessful methadone program.

13) Comment by Chucky - 25/01/2013

Have family in jail Mr. Young ?

14) Comment by Bighug - 25/01/2013

Lawyers, judges, police, and prison employees make money by arresting, trying, and housing criminals. That is a big political hurdle. A good first step would be to legalize drugs, but the same groups, plus drug pushers, would lose out on that too.