Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) today commended Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards for signing into law SB 220, which repeals most of Louisiana’s mandatory minimum drug sentencing laws. The bill is a significant component of a larger criminal justice package that passed through the Louisiana legislature this session. Full Article
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LA: Here’s why some sex offenders eligible for early release have to stay in prison
More than 400 Louisiana prisoners who are otherwise eligible for early release can’t leave correctional facilities because they are unable to find an approved place to live that complies with the state’s sex offender requirements. Full Article
Read MoreLA: New scam targets registered sex offenders with arrest threat
NEW ORLEANS — A new scam is targeting registered sex offenders, claiming they missed court dates that never actually existed. The US Marshal’s Service is warning the public that scam artists claiming they are Deputy US Marshals or Federal Marshals are working to extort money from sex offenders over the phone. Full Article
Read MoreLA: Too Poor for Freedom: Sex Offender Registry and the Fourteenth Amendment
If a school mandated uniforms and suspended a child too poor to afford them, there would be an uproar. Media would excoriate the school for denying the impoverished an education due to their financial circumstances. Many would wonder at the cost of a uniform relative to the school’s budget, suggesting that the school simply offer the child a simple uniform. As ever, our instinctive notions of justice and fair play seem to end at criminal court. In the state of Louisiana, a person required to register as a sex offender…
Read MoreLA: JPSO unveils state-of-the-art sex offender ID system
The sheriff’s office announced Friday that the Sex Offender Registry and Identification System, or SORIS, captures a high-resolution digital picture of the offender’s iris. The system can tell the difference between twins, and even a person’s right and left eye. Full Article
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