FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 22, 2020CONTACT: Sarah Silberstein 512-472-2700 ssilberstein@texaspolicy.comNew Paper Examines Solitary Confinement in the Pelican StateAUSTIN – Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Right on Crime initiative published the paper Solitary Confinement in the Pelican State. “The history of Louisiana’s criminal justice system, particularly its penitentiary system, is as complex and unique as the state itself,” says TPPF’s Scott Peyton, Louisiana State Director of Right on Crime. “To understand solitary confinement in Louisiana, one must first understand the history, politics, and culture that led to the creation of a penitentiary system that created the infamous ‘Alcatraz of the South.’ Solitary Confinement has human and financial costs associated with its use, with little data, or research, to indicate is effectiveness in making prisons safer.” Key Points:
Louisiana’s solitary confinement law was enacted in the 1800s when the prison population consisted of 112 inmates.
Louisiana has an extensive history of relying on solitary confinement as a punitive measure.
Louisiana ranks #1 in percentage of inmates in segregation in the United States.
The Louisiana Department of Corrections is working to address its reliance on solitary confinement.
To read the paper in full, please visit: https://files.texaspolicy.com/uploads/2020/09/22132503/Peyton-Solitary-Confinement.pdf For more information, please contact Sarah Silberstein atssilbertein@texaspolicy.com or 512-472-2700. Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit free-market research institute based in Austin that aims to foster human flourishing by protecting and promoting liberty, opportunity, and personal responsibility.
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