Louisiana would burnish its reputation for strict criminal sentencing laws under a bill (HB 9) approved by the state Senate on Thursday that Gov. Jeff Landry (R) is expected to sign into law.
The measure is part of a bill package in a special legislation session called by Landry following an increase in crimes like carjackings in recent years. Critics say the legislation will discourage good behavior in prisons and increase taxpayer costs.
“Every single time concerns about safety emerge, we start taking a bunch of steps backwards, and that is not going to help any of us ...