CNN
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Louisiana Department of Corrections Holds More Than a Quarter of Inmates Past Their Scheduled Release Date, U.S. Department of Justice Says said in the report Wednesday.
Between January and April 2022 alone, about 27% (about 4,100) of those released from LDOC custody were held past their release date, according to the Justice Department.
24% of those held beyond the release date were held for at least 90 extra days.
“Our investigation uncovered evidence of systemic violations by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, resulting in people routinely committing crimes well beyond the date they were legally entitled to release. incarcerated by the Civil Rights Division.
The DOJ launched an investigation in 2020, saying no action has been taken on the state’s over-detention issue for years. The report cites his decade of “systemic failure” in the state.
“Most of these violations are caused and exacerbated by systematic deficiencies in LDOC policies and procedures related to receiving sentencing documents, calculating release dates for incarcerated individuals, and training employees. ‘ said the agency. letter It was attached to the report.
The Justice Department said it could sue the state if these issues were not remedied in the coming weeks, but it hopes to “resolve this issue through a more collaborative approach.”
“The Constitution guarantees that people in prisons and prisons will not be detained beyond their release date, and it is a state fundamental to ensure that all people in custody are released on time. It’s a legal obligation,” Clark said.
LDOC spokesperson Ken Pastorick said in a statement to CNN that the department is reviewing the report and “will continue to work with the DOJ throughout this process.”
Mercedes Montagne, executive director of the Promise of Justice Initiative, a New Orleans nonprofit that supports and defends people’s rights in the justice system, told CNN that the report’s findings were “horrible.” “Frankly, it’s worse than we could have imagined,” he said.
“That’s what the Justice Department is here for,” Montagne said. “We screamed, we screamed, we cried from all the rooftops…For supporters like us, this is justified. It’s comforting to know that you’re trying to
This story has been updated with additional details.