At the conclusion of the Louisiana legislative session conducted in Baton Rouge, a total of 258 new laws were rolled out. According to commentary by The Town Talk, none were major or had an effect on the average Louisianan. However, one caught our eye.
Certain drug offenders who are now considered elderly inmates are newly eligible for parole consideration. If the inmate has no violence in his or her history and is over fifty-nine years of age, and wasn’t found guilty of a sex offense, he or she can receive parole. There are other requirements, such as having to have served at least ten years, and having completed a high school equivalence test.
This sort of legislation is long overdue. People who fit into this category of offender are very unlikely to be threats to the general public welfare. As a matter of fact, it is more likely that they are only a threat to themselves.
This sort of legislation passing points up the fact that the measures taken many decades ago to fight drug addiction with enforcement only results in massive public spending with nothing to show for it at the end. It costs up to $20,000 or more of taxpayer money each year to keep a nonviolent drug addict behind bars. Some of the people affected by this new legislation have been in prison near Baton Rouge for decades.
Drug addiction is by definition a compulsion that drives the person to take more and more drugs no matter what. Laws have no real bearing to the addict and create no deterrent. The real solution is to increase the quantity and quality of drug education programs and Louisiana drug abuse rehabilitation measures.
If you or someone you love needs help from a Baton Rouge, Louisiana drug treatment facility, we can help. Contact our hotline at 1-877-862-4326. Narconon Riverbend Retreat is a non-profit drug rehab facility that has been serving the Baton Rouge area for years.
