4,800 people are serving life without parole in Louisiana.
That’s more than the number of people serving life without parole in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas – combined, according to a 2017 report by the Sentencing Project.
Louisiana is one of only two states in the country that has a mandatory life sentence without parole for second-degree murder.
To address laws like this that made Louisiana the incarceration capital of the world, a Justice Reinvestment Task Force reviewed the state’s policies and recommended a number of changes aimed at reducing the prison population, saving tax dollars and improving public safety.
As the recommendations worked their way through the Louisiana Legislature, 10 bills passed, but the language that would give people serving long sentences like Starr an opportunity to share their stories with a parole board was left on the cutting room floor.
The legislation would have extended parole eligibility to those who have served 20 years and are reaching age 45 and would have made most lifers eligible for parole after serving 30 years in prison and reaching age 50.
Read more about those serving #LifeinLouisiana: [ Ссылка ]
