A Query. Louisiana Angola,Please sign !!!

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To whom it may concern.

Currently there is a particular law on the Louisiana book concerning the Rehabilitation of persons committed to and in the physical custody of the Louisiana Department of public safety and corrections.It is in this Law a revised status in witch the query begins.
According to the Louisiana code of criminal procedure, revised statute 15:828.A.(1).
Persons committed to and in the physical custody of the department SHALL be treated in a humane manner and the department SHALL direct efforts toward the rehabilitation of such persons in order to effect their return to the community as a promptly as practicable.
In order to accomplish this purpose, the secretary of the Department SHALL establish programs which are enumerated in the statue and such other programs as are consistent with available resources, physical custody and appropriate classification criteria.

Such programs SHALL include but not be limited to the prison rehabilitation pilot program as set forth in R.S.15:828.1.

Additionally he SHALL institute procedures to provide for the study of classification of all inmates of penal or correctional institutions under the jurisdiction of the Department.

Now, once an individual has satisfied the criteria outlined in the prescribed statute and has successfully completed the programs that are provided, a report has to be made to the secretary, who by rule has to make an annual report to the Governor with respect to the work of the department, which SHALL include but not be limited to statistical and other data, accounts of research work performed by the Department the results of inspections of local detention and correctional facilities and statistical and other data on PERSONS detained in such facilities, and any recommendations for legislation affecting the Department.

What of the study and classification procedures of the offenders ?

That report which has to be submitted to the Governor ?

The results and the statistical and or others data on persons detained in such facilities and the recommendations for legislation ?

There is a legislation that has become Law, which provides for the use of a location tracking and crime correlation based electronic monitoring supervision program for the sex offenders and violent offenders specified in paragraph B (1) of Louisiana revised statute 15:550. which is a pilot program.
The reason that I referred to this particular legislative law, is that in this piece of law, there is a required mandate that states :

‘THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE DETERMINATION AS TO WHETER THE OFFENDERS IS PARTICULARY LIKELY TO RESPOND AFFIRMATIVELY TO THE PARTICIPATION IN THE PILOT PROGRAM 15:550 B (2)’

IT ALSO STATED THAT AN OFFENDER MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PILOT PROGRAM UNDER THE ABOVE MENTIONED PROVISION.

My query to this is how is the offender being evaluated or assessed to make that determination ?

According to the statute, subsection C(1) the Department SHALL develop, adopt and promulgate rules and regulations in compliance with the administrative procedure act for the development, implementation and the administration of the pilot program.
Similarly LA. R.S. 15:828.B illustrates that the secretary SHALL adopt rules and regulations in the facility and institutions under the jurisdiction of the department to encourage voluntary participation but inmates in certified treatment and rehabilitation programs, including but not limited to basic education, job skills training, values development and faith based initiatives, therapeutic programs and treatment programs.

When funds are provided, such educational programs Shall be available at each penal or correctional institution under the juristic of the Department.

Information was presented by the way of a correspondence from the office of the secretary of the Department of corrections, dated September 23.2008, to a Pastor Mr.B.G.Porter, regarding the petition that was allegedly inquiring about the pilot program.
In that responding letter, information was giving to the Pastor in reference to the way in which the department of public safety and corrections shall implement a pilot program to electronically monitoring offenders.Explaining the way the Division of probation and parole has been using electronic monitoring since September 1995.

Alluding to the fact that currently there are two different types of models being used that are funded in the annual budget “Voice verification and global positioning satellite GSP “
The fact that the voice verification model only cost $ 0.99 per day per offender, is a good thing for the state budget and that there are currently 300 offenders on this system, speaks volumes as to making this a valuable tool to the search for alternatives to imprisonment.

Secondly in July 2006, the legislatures approved and funded the department for 100 GSP units to be used on sex offenders cases.
Currently there are approximately 80 sex offenders on the GSP system, at a cost of $ 4.44 per day, per offender.

Question is now is how ?

Are these particular participants being screened for the participation of the programs.

How are the results being studied and who are the ones targeted for the assessment ?

LA. R.S.15:827.(2) states that ‘It shall be the duty of the Department’
(2) To make a annual report to the Governor with respect to the work of the Department, etc….
LA.R.S 15:828.A(2) .(C) states that “The social worker, psychologist or psychiatrist Shall provide the Board of Parole with PROGRESS reports and information in accordance with R.S.15:574-4-(C). (2).

LA. R.S.15:550.D (2).status that “A report of the evaluation of the program shall be presented to the joint Legislative committee on the Budget the senate committee on the Judiciary, section C and the House committee on the Administration of criminal Justice not later then Thirty(30) days of the 2005 regular session of the Legislature.
The provisions of this section shall be implemented only to the extent that funding is available.
Funding is available from inmates who are presently incarcerated at the Louisiana state prison, in Angola.

If that happens to be the only viable impediment to the actual implementation of the program.

This campaign is targeting your Governor, members of your State Senate, members of your State House, the President of the United States and members of the US Senate.

The campaign ends on Oct 15.