SAFE COMMUNITIES & CRIME REDUCTION

According to US News and World Report, Louisiana ranked 50th in crime and corrections. Louisiana has 639 violent crimes per 100,000 people, while the national average is 399 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

The Louisiana Survey 2023 Report listed crime as the #1 issue the people of this state want to see addressed by state government.

Achieving safe communities means:

• Funding well-trained and well-equipped (with the latest crime fighting technologies) law enforcement agencies;

• Continuing to evaluate prevention solutions and criminal penalties that will mitigate the fentanyl crisis;

• Working with law enforcement to eliminate the human trafficking by assuring rigid penalties on traffickers, and working to provide refuge and recovery to the victims;

• Ensuring all children have access to early childhood opportunities, avoiding the pipeline to prison consequence of an inadequate education;

• Improving the Juvenile Justice system;

• Investing dollars in job training programs, mental health services, rehabilitation programs and other efforts to smooth reentry for offenders leaving prison and to better prepare them for the workforce and society.