§1204.1. Correctional coordination; duties of agency

A. The commission shall serve as the central coordinating agency for adult and juvenile correctional systems, in conjunction with the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, youth services of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, the sheriffs of the state, and local juvenile justice officials.

B. The duties of the commission with regard to correctional coordination shall be to:

(1) Maintain accurate and timely statistical information relative to the operation of state and local correctional systems.

(2) Report the status of state and local correctional facilities and programs to the governor and legislature by April first of each year.

(3) Review and conduct needs analyses upon all state or local correctional facility construction projects which add capacity in the system and which require the expenditure of state funds, and report the analyses results to the governor and the legislature prior to their consideration of such funding.

(4) Prepare and present to the governor and legislature a policy impact statement on each major change to correctional law.

(5) Maintain prison population projections for all state or local correctional institutions and state probation and parole caseloads.

(6) Evaluate the cost and effectiveness of all correctional experimental programs approved by the legislature on an experimental basis and report the findings of such evaluations to the legislature.

(7) Recommend practical and realistic improvements in the state correctional system to the governor and the legislature by April first of each year.

(8) Aid state and local government in the development and exchange of information concerning correctional policies and programs, including the development of correctional information systems.

(9) Maintain the Parish Prison Information System.

(10) Assist state and local government in improving correctional decision making.

(11) Conduct evaluations of existing corrections programs or studies of proposed corrections programs, as requested by the governor, legislature, youth services of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, or the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

C. As used herein:

(1) "Agency" means the staff of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice.

(2) "Commission" means the members of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice.

(3) "Local government" means any political subdivision of the state.

(4) "State" means the state of Louisiana.

D. A majority vote of the commission membership present and voting shall be required for approval by the commission of a correctional construction or system improvement plan.

E. The agency shall have access to, and be provided upon request with, all statistical and other relevant information from any state or local correctional agency in order to perform the duties set forth in this Section. The agency shall also have access to all records maintained by any state agency for the purpose of correctional planning, policy decisions, and research activity. These records shall include information maintained by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections on adult and juvenile offenders, including inmate records, medical records, and student records. The agency shall maintain the confidentiality of any records required by law to be kept confidential.

Acts 1986, No. 159, §1; Acts 2004, No. 7, §2, eff. May 5, 2004.