A Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation has revealed that Louisiana prisons and jails routinely incarcerate inmates well past their release dates. This practice is in violation of inmates' 14th Amendment rights, and it's costing state taxpayers an estimated $2.5 million each year.
The DOJ has been investigating Louisiana's well-documented habit of keeping inmates detained past their release dates since 2020. While inmates are legally required to be released once their sentence is complete, over a quarter of inmates in Louisiana are kept imprisoned past their release date.
