The use of private prisons in Louisiana is both a moral and ethical failure that prioritizes profit over justice. Incarceration should never be a business, and no company should profit from keeping people behind bars. Private prison contracts create perverse incentives to increase incarceration rates, cut corners on rehabilitation and healthcare, and exploit incarcerated individuals for labor. I firmly oppose the use of private prison contracts in Louisiana and will fight to end them in favor of a system that focuses on justice, rehabilitation, and public safety—not corporate profits.
Additionally, I oppose the construction of new prisons that expand the state’s overall incarceration capacity. Louisiana already has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, and building more prisons does nothing to address the root causes of crime. Instead of expanding incarceration, we should be investing in mental health services, job training, education, and reentry programs that reduce recidivism and keep people from entering the system in the first place. However, I do recognize that some facilities may require renovation, relocation, or modernization for the health, safety, and humane treatment of those incarcerated. Any such changes should be focused on improving conditions, not expanding capacity.
The focus of our criminal justice system should be on rehabilitation and reducing incarceration rates, not maintaining a pipeline that benefits private interests. Louisiana must break free from a punishment-for-profit model and move toward a system that values fairness, human dignity, and true public safety.