Smart on Crime Reacts
The Times Picayune|Advocate’s investigative reporting team spent over a year analyzing scattered data and personal testimonies to understand the state of criminal justice in New Orleans. Their findings paint a grim picture of a system breaking under the pressure of crime and unsolved murder cases. Baton Rouge faces similar issues, with prosecutors overwhelmed by the sheer number and complexity of homicide cases and families anxious to see justice served and legal proceedings completed. The first publications in the Longing for Justice series, which is set to continue throughout the year, raise important questions about the management of existing resources and the options available to those within the justice system. Smart on Crime Louisiana applauds the journalistic rigor applied to consolidating data about an issue so severe.
Action is imperative as long as unsolved crimes, prolonged trials, and understaffed courts drain valuable tax payer dollars and risk lives. Public safety and fiscal responsibility begin with strong data, upon which sound administration and future policies can be built. Our comprehensive report, The Future of Conservative Justice, outlines evidence backed reforms designed to protect communities, encourage rehabilitation when possible, and reduce recidivism. If applied, this compelling vision can ease the pressure placed on courts and prisons through alternative courts, recidivism reducing measures, and fair, consistent sentencing guidelines. The people of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and other communities throughout Louisiana deserve a resilient and accountable justice system that uses data to protect them and their Constitutional rights.
Smart on Crime Louisiana looks forward to the continuation of this series highlighting areas of our criminal justice system urgently in need of reform.
