Criminal Justice Reform

Louisiana has long been the incarceration capital of the world, a dubious distinction that, fortunately, is no longer true due to recent changes in the law. While it will be an ongoing challenge to ensure that these changes remain permanent, the main drivers of mass incarceration remain race disparities and inadequate mental health care. For meaningful permanent improvements in our criminal justice system, Louisiana will need to address racism and mental health issues. For these reasons, the Touro Criminal Justice Initiative is taking a hiatus and encourages those interested in this issue to work with other Touro Social Action groups such as Touro’s Race and Equity Collaborative and the Mental Health Committee. In addition, the Voting Rights Initiative works to increase voter participation, which can lead to further reforms to our still broken system.

If you are interested in these efforts, please contact Marjorie Esman at [email protected].