For the first time in a number of years, Louisiana's prison population has declined. Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc shared the findings with House Appropriations Committee members Tuesday.
"From 2006-2009, we added about 1,200 prisoners a year. If that figure continued, we'd have been at 44,000 by the end of 2014. We closed last year at about 38,000," said LeBlanc. LeBlanc attributes the drop to changes in sentencing laws and strong re-entry programs.
Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the nation. LeBlanc says the numbers indicate the state is doing a better job in keeping people from coming back to prison.
