Both Louisiana and St. Tammany parish rank first in the world and state for incarcerated persons relative to population. Many recommendations of the Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task force have been reflected in proposed legislation being considered now in Baton Rouge. Potential changes in law and practice have important implications for security, equity, and public resources needed for our state and communities.
The implications for St. Tammany Parish of Louisiana Criminal Justice reform proposals and the views of various parties will be the focus of an open public meeting to be held on Wednesday evening, April 26th, from 7 to 8:30 pm at the Mandeville Community Center. The meeting will be a conversation involving community participants and knowledgeable discussants with expertise on various aspects and is sponsored by the non-partisan, non-profit Civic & Civil Conversations Project. Join the conversation.
The forum will be moderated by Louisiana native the Right Rev. Bishop Joe Doss, a former Episcopal Bishop for New Jersey who has perspective as a priest and attorney on the policy framework and experience in counseling victims of violent crime, including capital crime. Bishop Doss will summarize the recent legislative proposals and moderate conversations with discussants that will include:
•Colin Sims, Chief of Criminal Division, St. Tammany District Attorney’s Office
•Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission that recently completed the St. Tammany Criminal Justice Accountability Report for the Northshore Business Council. He has also served as a prosecutor and noted some reservations on some of the Criminal Justice task force recommendations.
•Charles Hargon, former COO of Hibernia Bank and as retired conservative business leader has been recognized for his detailed participation with Louisiana Justice Reinvestment Task force process, analysis, and recommendations. Mr. Hargon has joined other business leaders in the Right on Crime group promoting improvements in criminal justice laws and programs.
•Ann Kungel, Community Coordinator for the LA-Prison Reentry Initiative, whose work provides direct experience with measures to reduce repeat offenses and recidivism. Ms. Kungel has experience with the specialist courts and related programs for persons on probation and parole.
•Bonnie Schmidt, is a former leader for League of Women Voters policy review of criminal justice reforms and funding needs in St. Tammany parish, and participant in research inputs to the Louisiana Criminal Justice Reinvestment task force. Ms. Schmidt is a retired social worker with a master’s degree in rehabilitation and serves with a steering committee for Judge Gardner’s 22nd Judicial District initiatives.
Find Civic & Civil Conversations Project online.
