Louisiana’s prison system routinely holds inmates weeks or months after they should have been released following the completion of their sentences, the US Department of Justice said in a lawsuit filed Friday.
The lawsuit against the state comes after a years-long investigation into a pattern of “over-incarceration” that violates inmates’ rights and costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year.
Since at least 2012, more than a quarter of inmates scheduled for release from Louisiana prisons have been held past their release dates, according to the DOJ.
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Louisiana prisons often hold inmates long after they should have been released after serving their sentences, the DOJ said. (AP)
The Justice Department warned Louisiana officials last year that it could file a lawsuit if they fail to fix the problems. Attorneys for the department said the state had made “meager efforts” to address these problems, noting that such remedial efforts were “inadequate” and showed “willful disregard” for prisoners’ constitutional rights.
“[T]the right to liberty of the individual includes the right to be released from detention after the expiration of the time imposed by the court,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke in a statement.
“Imprisoning people indefinitely … not only interferes with individual liberty, but also erodes public trust in the fair and just application of our laws,” the statement added.
More than a quarter of inmates scheduled to be released from Louisiana prisons since at least 2012 have been held on their release dates, the Department of Justice said. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and state Attorney General Liz Murrill, both Republicans, said the problem was caused by “failed criminal justice reforms” driven by “past administrations.”
“This past year, we’ve taken serious steps to keep Louisianans safe and make sure those who commit crimes do time, too,” Landry and Murrill said in a joint statement with the Associated Press. “The state of Louisiana is committed to upholding the constitutional rights of the citizens of Louisiana.”
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks at the CPAC Texas 2022 conference at the Hilton Anatole. (Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The two federal officials also said the case was a last-ditch effort by President Biden, who is leaving office next month, saying the incoming administration of President Trump would not pursue the case.
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Advocates have repeatedly challenged conditions at the Louisiana prison, which includes Angola, the nation’s largest maximum-security prison, where inmates hand-pick vegetables on 18,000 acres. The site was once the Angola Plantations, a slave plantation owned by Isaac Franklin and named after Angola, the country of origin of many of the former slaves who worked there.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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