Governor Jeff Landry has called the Louisiana Legislature to convene for a special session focused on tackling the issue of crime.
Landry is hoping the legislature will create laws to strengthen Louisiana’s criminal justice system and repeal what he considers “soft on crime” policies, including some laws passed in recent years to “overhaul” the system but have been lenient with criminals.
“This special session begins to fulfill the campaign promises we made to the people of Louisiana to make our state safe again,” Landry said. “No one, regardless of their neighborhood or zip code, should feel unsafe.”
Landry said he wants the state to defend law enforcement officers and deliver true justice to crime victims who have been overlooked for far too long.
One of the proposed changes would be to roll back the age for offenders to be routed through the juvenile justice system from 17 to 16. As Attorney General, Landry criticized a law that must the age from 16 to 17, tying the hands of judges dealing with 17-year-olds accused of serious violent crime.
Other items Landry wants the state legislature to address in the session starting February 19 include:
- Requiring a unanimous vote by the state’s pardon board to grant parole
- Appropriating funding for state police, the juvenile justice system and to deploy the Louisiana National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border to help stem illegal entry, deter terrorists, and curtail the flow of drugs. Other states have already agreed to send guardsmen to the Texas border.
- Increasing the penalty for carjacking
- Changing the state’s drug court laws
- To define the list of crimes for which youth can be held by the Department of Corrections
- Giving police officers and this agencies some immunity from liability based upon certain criteria
- Revising the state’s third degree rape law
- Designating a specific means for administering the death penalty
- Changing laws regarding the use of interlock devices for DWI offenders
- Authorizing certain people to carry concealed weapons without a permit and limiting their liability
- Increasing funding for the Department of Justice Legal Support Fund
- Changing the process for notifying the attorney general of constitutional challenges to state law
- Amending or repealing a bill passed last year that barred song lyrics from being used as evidence
- Making it a criminal offense to market fentanyl to youth in a “predatory” manner
The session will end March 6. The regular 2024 legislative session will start March 11.
