Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that Orleans, St. Tammany and Jefferson Parishes are among five parishes to receive the initial round of reinvestment funds made available through savings from the historic Justice Reinvestment legislation he signed into law in 2017.  Orleans will receive $2,028,790, St. Tammany will receive $562,008 and Jefferson will receive $794,433. Overall, the reform efforts are expected to save the state more than $262 million over the next decade and mandate that 70 percent of the savings be reinvested into programs that reduce recidivism, support victims and improve public safety.  In the first fiscal year, the savings totaled $12.2 million, double the initial projections.

“This is a great day for Orleans, St. Tammany and Jefferson parishes but also for our state and our people,” said Gov. Edwards. “We are getting smarter on crime and transforming our criminal justice system with a focus on providing services for victims and their families based on their recommendations, putting more resources in place to reduce the cycle of recidivism and making our communities safer. This is the result of hard and courageous work done by Democrats, Republicans, Independents, law enforcement and community advocates. We are reshaping our state’s future by implementing laws based on evidence backed research that has been proven effective in other Southern, conservative states. The early results are both positive and promising, and I believe we will see those results increase as the reform efforts continue working.”

"Providing returning citizens the opportunity to find housing, employment and other assistance is essential for their success. Re-entry service providers in New Orleans are doing a tremendous job, but they are grossly underfunded. This grant will enable dollars to go where they are needed most.  This serves as another reminder that Gov. Edwards' criminal justice reform initiatives, signed into law in 2017, are having a powerful impact on local communities," said New Orleans City Councilmember At-Large Helena Moreno.

Moreno, a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, authored HB 681(Act 265) as part of the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers who supported the criminal justice reform effort.  The legislation eliminates the one-year ban for people convicted of drug related felonies from getting food stamps and welfare benefits after they have been released from prison.

The five parishes chosen to receive the first round of savings from criminal justice reform house 40 percent of inmates in the state.  They include: Caddo, East Baton Rouge, Orleans, St. Tammany and Jefferson. The funds will be used for community incentive grants, victim services, and reinvestment and reentry programs. 

Here’s the disbursement of funds in each parish:

Orleans Parish - $2,028,790
Community Incentive Grants - $1,356,790
-Orleans Public Defenders: Legal Services/Case Management:  $377,000

-Goodwill Industries: Wraparound services, community coordination:     $447,785

-Catholic Charities: Wraparound services, community coordination:    $254,208

-Welcoming Project: Job training, Internships, education programs      $125,000

-Louisiana Parole Project: Community Reentry Program: transitional housing, intensive reorientation   program. $22,433

-Southern University of New Orleans: Mentoring, peer support, behavioral health:  $97,569

-Formerly Incarcerated Transitions (FIT) Clinic: Physical health:  $32,795

Local Programs - $422,000
Under the reform measures, the last two years of incarceration will be spent at a local facility in close proximity to the inmate’s home parish. Programs will include education, decision making and technical training, anger management, substance use treatment, housing and job placement.

Reentry Courts - $200,000 
The funds will be used to expand the two reentry courts in Orleans.

Local Regional Reentry Center- $50,000
Increase funding for existing reentry centers to provide additional transitional programming for DOC offenders at the local level. This is in addition to the $550,000 in existing contracts for regional reentry centers.

St. Tammany Parish - $562,008
Community Incentive Grants -$87,508
-Catholic Charities: Wraparound services, community coordination:    $65,075

-Louisiana Parole Project: Community Reentry Program: transitional housing, intensive reorientation program. $22,433

Local Programs – $324,500
Under the reform measures, the last two years of incarceration will be spent at a local facility in close proximity to the inmate’s home parish. Programs will include education, decision making and technical training, anger management, substance use treatment, housing and job placement.

Reentry Court - $100,000
The funds will be used to expand St. Tammany Parish’s reentry court.

Local Regional Reentry Center - $50,000 
Increase funding for existing reentry centers to provide additional transitional programming for DOC offenders at the local level. This is in addition to the $550,000 in existing contracts for regional reentry centers.

Jefferson Parish- $794,433
Community Incentive Grants- $272,433
-Louisiana Parole Project: Community reentry program (transitional housing, intensive reorientation program)- $22,433

-United Way of Southeast Louisiana: Wraparound services, community coordination- $250,000

Local Programs – $422,000
Under the reform measures, the last two years of incarceration will be spent at a local facility in close proximity to the inmate’s home parish. Programs will include education, decision making and technical training, anger management, substance use treatment, housing and job placement.

Reentry Court – $100,000
The funds will be used to expand Jefferson Parish’s reentry court.       

On Tuesday, Gov. Edwards announced that the first grants of $1.7 million will be reinvested in services for victims of crime.  The funds were awarded to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C) and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Criminal Justice (LCLE).  The funds will be used for programs that were recommended by victims during the Justice Reinvestment process.

Specific requests made by victims throughout the Justice Reinvestment process include:

  • The right to be notified about hearings and decisions without having to register in multiple places
  • The right to be financially restored for medical expenses, property losses, and time away from work related to the crime
  • The right to feel safe and to have access to safety planning services
  • And the technology and human resources to make these rights meaningful and enforceable

Click here to see complete information for Orleans Parish.

Click here to see complete information for St. Tammany Parish.

Click here to see complete information for Jefferson Parish.

Click here to see information for Victims’ Services. 

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