Gov. Jindal Wants to Release Non-Violent Drug Offenders

Governor Bobby Jindal unveiled several reforms he will pursue during the upcoming legislative session that will help Louisiana's at-risk youth and reduce recidivism rates for juveniles and non-violent drug offenders.

The juvenile justice reforms include streamlining the system of care for youth currently in the juvenile justice system and also strengthening programs to help at-risk youth on the front-end so they do not end up in the juvenile justice system. The sentencing reform proposals include moving to more effective community-based alternatives to incarceration - under the supervision of the Department of Corrections - as a way to treat non-violent, non-sex, and non-habitual drug offenders.

On juvenile justice reform, Governor Jindal said, "With these reforms, we can help at-risk youth on the front-end so that they can avoid a future of incarceration and instead become productive members of society. Providing our children with community-based support before they fall through the cracks will go a long way toward strengthening our communities and keeping our kids out of trouble."

On sentencing reform, Governor Jindal said, "Studies and practices in other states have shown that substance abuse treatment instead of incarceration is a more effective treatment for non-violent, non-sex, non-habitual drug offenders. By enacting these common-sense sentencing reforms, we can provide these types of offenders with the help they need and lower recidivism rates that are costly to the state and our communities."

JUVENILE JUSTICE PROPOSALS

Governor Jindal will pursue legislation to refocus and rededicate the Families in Needs of Services (FINS) program with its original mission to care for at-risk youth before they end up on probation or in non-secure or secure care.

The legislation will be authored by Senator Greg Tarver. The FINS program was designed to assist children and families engaged in potentially harmful behavior, and to help mitigate those harmful behaviors before children commit juvenile crimes.

There are currently two variations of the FINS program:

Informal FINS: a voluntary intervention program designed to prevent youth from going into the formal juvenile justice system. Formal FINS: initiated by the filing of a petition by the district attorney or any other attorney authorized by the court. Youth are sentenced to an OJJ non-secure, residential facility or placed on probation.

FINS has strayed from its mission of addressing the root causes of non-delinquent behavior, instead advancing at-risk youth through the traditional court system and further into the juvenile justice system. The result has been a higher juvenile incarceration rate, not less criminal behavior.

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Gov. Jindal Wants to Release Non-Violent Drug Offenders