DOJ Says Louisiana Holding Nearly 30 Percent of Prison Inmates Beyond Release Dates, Violating Rights

"This unconstitutional practice costs Louisiana over $2.5 million a year"

A sign sits at the entrance of the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Ind., on July 13, 2020. Scott Olson/Getty Images

There is “reasonable cause” to believe that the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (LDOC) routinely holds inmates in prison beyond their legal release date, in violation of their rights, according to the Department of Justice.

In a press release on Jan. 25, the DOJ said that an investigation into the state’s prison system had found that since at least 2012, more than a quarter of the people that were supposed to be released from LDOC’s custody every year had instead been held past their release date.