The United States government has taken a significant legal step against a state for alleged systemic overdetention of prisoners. On December 19, 2024, the United States Department of Justice filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana against the State of Louisiana and its Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The lawsuit accuses these entities of routinely detaining individuals beyond their lawful release dates, violating constitutional rights under the Fourteenth Amendment.
The case outlines that since at least 2012, more than a quarter of individuals due for release from Louisiana's custody each year have been held past their release dates. This pattern of overdetention is attributed to systemic operational deficiencies within the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (LDOC). The complaint cites an op-ed by Governor Jeff Landry from 2018 where he acknowledged issues within the department. The United States argues that this practice violates the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) and seeks injunctive relief to end this practice.
According to the complaint, LDOC's failures include inadequate policies for obtaining necessary sentencing paperwork, inefficient manual processes for calculating release dates, cumbersome release procedures, and insufficient employee training. These shortcomings lead to delays and errors in releasing prisoners on time. For instance, data from 2022 shows that hundreds were detained beyond their legal release dates, with some held an average of 62 days past their due date.
The United States seeks a court order declaring that Louisiana's practices violate constitutional rights and permanently enjoining them from continuing these unlawful acts. They demand that Louisiana implement measures ensuring timely releases for all individuals in LDOC’s custody. The complaint highlights previous audits and reports dating back to 2012 that have repeatedly identified these issues without adequate remedial action from Louisiana.
This case is represented by multiple attorneys including Ronald C. Gathe Jr., Katherine K. Green, Duane A. Evans, Sandra Ema Gutierrez, Brandon Bonaparte Brown, Shannon T. Smitherman from various U.S Attorney’s Offices across Louisiana along with Kristen Clarke and Regan Rush from the Civil Rights Division in Washington D.C. The presiding judge is not mentioned in the document but it is filed under Case ID: 3:24-cv-01041-BAJ-RLB.