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Prisoners in Angola, Louisiana, where the state prison population has dropped by 5.4 percent.

Louisiana

Michael Stravato/Polaris, via Newscom
Closing Argument
These States Are Debating Castration for Sex Crimes. Experts Call It Cruel and Pointless.
Critics say there’s no evidence that castration prevents future sex offenses. Yet several states are weighing such measures.
Louisiana Rep. Delisha Boyd, a Black woman wearing glasses and a black dress, speaks into a mic while standing in front of a podium. Two Black men wearing suits stand in the background.
A photograph shows two police officers standing next to a gate on a street. One officer is wearing a helmet and holds a wooden baton.
Closing Argument May 24
As Trump Abandons Police Reforms, These Local Officials Vow to Press On
The Department of Justice said it’s pulling back from policing changes. Will cities and states have the tools to enforce them?
By and
A woman in an orange jail uniform crouches toward the ground, against a fence.
Closing Argument March 29
How States Are Undoing Criminal Justice Reforms
Louisiana, New York and other states are rolling back reforms — and efforts to reduce excessive sentencing or expand parole are smaller in scope.
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A photo shows a line of police officers standing on a corner while wearing riot gear and holding batons.
News March 12
Trump Is Backing Away From Police Reform. Here’s What That Means for 12 Places.
The administration appears set to end federal oversight of police, including agencies that have committed systemic civil rights violations.
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Butler County Jail in Hamilton, Ohio, in 2023.
Closing Argument January 4
‘Perverse’ Incentives: How Local Governments Might Cash In on Trump’s Migrant Detention
Some local officials see President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations as an answer to their budget woes.
By
A photo shows the sun beaming above silhouettes of two people holding a board while another person constructs a wall of a makeshift prison cell.
Closing Argument August 10, 2024
‘Deliberate Indifference’: Court Rulings Challenge Extreme Heat Conditions in Prisons
“If it’s 103 outside, it may be 107 to -8 inside of your cell,” said a man who worked in the fields while imprisoned in Texas.
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a seated man with light-toned skin and short-cropped dark hair, signs a bill that is composed of a high stack of papers. Eight masked people with varying skin tones and genders stand behind him.
Election 2024 August 1, 2024
Facing Rollbacks, Criminal Justice Reformers Argue Policies Make People Safer
Advocates are refining their rebuttal to “tough on crime” messaging: Don’t focus on punishment, but on reforms that improve public safety.
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Raymond Flanks, a Black man, and Cassandra Delpit, a Black woman, embrace each other by Lake Pontchartrain.
Life Inside July 26, 2024
Love Beyond Bars: Raymond and Cassandra
Raymond Flanks spent nearly 39 years in Louisiana lockups for a murder he didn’t commit. Luckily, he found love with an old friend, Cassandra Delpit.
Photographs by Camille Farrah Lenain
As-told-to by
An incarcerated man, wearing a gray sweater and blue pants, places a basket of harvested turnips onto a cart. Prison farm workers, wearing blue uniforms, are standing in a field in the background.
Closing Argument June 22, 2024
The New Battle Over an Old Institution: Forced Prison Labor
Inside the latest legal and legislative efforts to close state constitutional loopholes that allow slavery as punishment for a crime.
By
Gov. Jeff Landry, a White man wearing a blue suit and red tie, speaking at a podium in January 2024.
Closing Argument March 9, 2024
These States Are Once Again Embracing ‘Tough-on-Crime’ Laws
Louisiana is one of several states passing punitive measures in response to public fears.
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