Displaying items by tag: criminal justice reform

Louisiana has a reputation as a conservative, law and order, state, but that has been changing in recent years. After approval from the legislature and the voters last fall, unanimous jury verdicts will be required in felony convictions. This will make it much harder for prosecutors to convict criminals in our state.

The Louisiana Democratic Party, slammed Republican Congressman Ralph Abraham's decision to not vote in favor of the criminal reform bill that was approved this week in Congress and is expected to be signed into law. The Democrats noted that Abraham did not vote for the legislation backed by the president and by members of the Louisiana delegation.  Here is the Democrat's comments and Abraham's Facebook post on the criminal justice reform and below that is the comments made by the Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards::

Is it "criminal" or "justice"?

Regardless, Donald Trump is in the middle of philosophical or political or election battle involving Louisiana's US Senator John Kennedy and the current Governor, John Bel Edwards.

To be clear: "criminal" riminal, not as in a crime has been committed, but criminal in the more figure-of-speech connotation, meaning, simply "wrong". "Justice", not in the legal sense, but as in doing what is "right and just" regardless of emotions and sympathies.

So, is a letter from Senator Kennedy to President Donald Trump sent one day prior to Edwards's visit to talk criminal justice reform with President Donald Trump, "criminal or justice"?  

More evidence:

On Monday, Governor Edwards announced that he was being invited to participate in a criminal justice event at Bedminister (see Edwards’s announcement, below). The invitation, as did a prior one earlier during Edwards's administration, came directly form the President. Trump is a Republican and Edwards, a Republican.

Today, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, after completing a failed fiscal session ending last week, embarked upon the regular session today, held annually during the Spring.  The fiscal session was called as a special legislative session so revenues could be raised. These revenues or taxes cannot be raised during a regular session. Edwards wants the session to end early so it can engage in another fiscal session at the end of the regular-scheduled spring session to handle the close to one billion dollars in budget shortages.

Below is the transcript of today's speech to the Louisiana legislative session.  The speech was streamed live by Bayoubuzz.com with related tweets off to the side.

by Lou Gehrig Burnett, Publisher of Fax-Net

Keeping up with AG Landry?
 It’s no secret that Attorney General Jeff Landry has his eyes set on the governor’s office (Read: Senator Kennedy jockeying for governor run with Governor Edwards, reform slam?)

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and various state officials are traveling to Washington DC to participate in a criminal justice reform event. It will be streamed online.

Here is the statement from Governor Edwards's office:

by Lou Gehrig Burnett, Publisher of Fax-Net

Edwards, leaders in D.C.

In the last legislative session, Governor John Bel Edwards was successful in passing a package of laws that completely overhauled the state’s criminal justice system. The main reason for the legislative package was to reduce the state’s incarceration rate, which is the highest in the world.

As a result, starting on November 1, 1,900 “non-violent offenders,” became eligible for release from prison after serving at least 35% of their sentence. Before the release, Sheriffs and District Attorneys across the state expressed concern that violent criminals would be unleashed upon the innocent citizens of Louisiana. Not surprisingly, days after the state started releasing these “non-violent offenders,” an armed robbery was committed in Kenner by Tyrone “Smokey” White, one of the criminals set free.

    Some 1,400 inmates serving time for non- violent, non-sex offenses will be released from Louisiana state prisons earlier than expected on November 1.
    It’s the result of the Criminal Justice Reinvestment Package, which Gov. John Bel Edwards and a group of bipartisan legislators passed in the 2017 Legislature.