Today begins the fourth day of Governor Jeff Landry’s special session on crime and ULM Political Science Professor Pearson Cross believes the hard-nosed conservative will be able to honor his tough-on-crime campaign promises.
“I don’t think he’s going to have much opposition it’s early in his first term and this is a special session with super-majorities in the House and Senate with Republicans, I think he’s going to get his way,” said Cross.
After Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards’ passage of criminal justice reforms, Cross said the Landry administration is a sharp contrast from the last eight years in Louisiana. Cross said it appears the state will soon have a much stricter criminal justice code and less eligibility for the commutation of sentences.
“It’s definitely a move away from what Edwards brought in his term and particularly towards the end of this term which was trying to find ways to save money and get people out of prison,” said Cross.
Cross is quick to point out that while most of the bills increase penalties and keep criminals behind bars longer, legislation to allow concealed carry without a permit can be deemed ironic.
“We’re going to allow people to protect themselves so you can carry that concealed weapon and potentially stop a crime perpetrated on you or your friends. So, it is a little bit of an odd child in this session and moves in the other direction,” said Cross.
Among the bills progressing in the session are measures to increase the carjacking penalties, reducing probation and parole, prosecution 17-year-old suspects as adults, allowing concealed carry of guns without a permit and the addition of more methods to carry out the death penalty.
