The US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of Louisiana, accusing its prison system of routinely holding individuals past their release dates. The lawsuit follows a multiyear investigation that revealed a pattern of 'systemic overdetention' that violates inmates' rights and costs taxpayers millions of dollars annually.
According to the DOJ, since at least 2012, over 25% of individuals scheduled for release from Louisiana prisons have been kept incarcerated beyond their release dates. Despite warnings from federal officials last year, the state's efforts to address the issue were deemed 'inadequate' and showed a 'deliberate indifference' to the constitutional rights of those incarcerated.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke emphasized that the right to individual liberty includes being released from incarceration on time as ordered by the court. Failure to do so not only infringes on individual liberty but also undermines public trust in the fair application of laws.
In response, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill attributed the problem to 'failed criminal justice reforms' from the previous administration. They stated that recent actions have been taken to enhance public safety and ensure that offenders serve their sentences.
The state officials criticized the lawsuit as a last-minute effort by the outgoing Biden administration, suggesting that the incoming Trump administration would not have pursued the case. Advocates have long raised concerns about the conditions in Louisiana's prison system, including at Angola, the nation's largest maximum-security prison, where inmates work on a former slave plantation under harsh conditions.
