Louisiana's outgoing governor has pardoned 40 convicted murders in the final three months of his administration, in an effort to end the state's unwelcome reputation as the nation's most incarcerated.
John Bel Edwards, the South's only Democratic governor, will leave office on January 8 after serving the maximum term of two four-year terms.
The 57-year-old attorney has made reducing Louisiana's prison population a priority.
Per capita, Louisiana incarcerates more people than any other democracy in the world, with 1,094 people per 100,000 behind bars, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. By comparison, the US as a whole retains 664 per 100,000 residents; Great Britain only 129.
In 2017, Edwards signed a bill that shortened some prison sentences; kept certain non-violent offenders out of jail; expanded the right to parole and provided more money to educate and train ex-offenders.
And since October, he has pardoned 56 inmates statewide, including 40 convicted murderers.
John Bel Edwards, who will resign as governor of Louisiana in January, has pardoned 56 people since October, including 40 murderers
Anthony Riggins is seen at a hearing trying to secure his release from prison
Venson Dean Vampran is depicted with his lawyer trying to win his freedom from prison
Among those freed was a man who was just seven hours away from the electric chair for the murder of a taxi driver in April 1983.
David Rushing of New Orleans was 18 when he confessed that he had tried to rob a convenience store and a gas station but was thwarted, then called a cab and shot the driver, Danny Archer, to death.
He was sentenced to death, but his lawyers successfully appealed, citing prosecutorial misconduct and an ineffective defense.
Another pardoned by Edwards was Anthony Riggins, who fatally shot an unarmed 68-year-old storekeeper, Peter Davenhauer, in the New Orleans suburb of Gretna.
Riggins was convicted in November 1977.
One-third of the convicted murderers, Venson Dean Vampran, was found guilty of killing hitchhiker Mark Bass in October 1984 and raping his wife Susan Bass. He was 25.
Others Edwards has released in the past three months include armed robbers, drug dealers and an arsonist.
Edwards said Nola.com that he feared his Republican successor, Jeff Landry, would reverse his prison and justice reforms.
Landry, the current attorney general, campaigned on incarcerating more people, cutting taxes and reducing government regulation. He has also pledged to force prosecutors to prosecute more people and seek harsher sentences.
But Edwards said he was proud of his work over the past eight years.
“When I leave office, the state of Louisiana will be better than when I took office,” he said, citing low unemployment, infrastructure projects, green energy and better access to health care.
Edwards said he felt his actions to reduce the prison population were a step in the right direction.
“For as long as I can remember, Louisiana has responded reflexively to the increase in crime by putting more people in jail and keeping them there longer,” he said.
'We have never been safer as a result. There is no data to suggest that the increase in crime here is due to the reforms.”
Edwards will step down in January after eight years as governor — the last Democratic governor in the South
Louisiana incarcerates more people per capita than any other democracy in the world
In April, Edwards used his final State of the State address to call for an end to the death penalty.
Louisiana has not executed anyone in fifteen years and currently has 57 people on death row.
Edwards said the death penalty “does not deter crime; it is not necessary for public safety; and more importantly, it is completely inconsistent with Louisiana's pro-life values as it literally promotes a culture of death.”
Landry, his successor, is an enthusiastic supporter of the death penalty and is likely to implement it immediately.
“Look, this is ridiculous,” Landry told a radio host in June.
“We haven't executed anyone since 2010. All the states around us are carrying out executions and are doing a lot better than Louisiana in terms of crime rates.”
Neighboring Texas is the only state to have executions in 2023, and it had the second-highest homicide rate in the country in 2022, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report.
Landry said Louisiana has made a “commitment” to execute those prisoners. Rolling stone reported, and must keep that promise.
“Every time we fail to live up to the contract or our promises, there is a further erosion of trust between our citizens and the government,” he said.
Jeff Landry will take over as governor from Edwards in January and has said combating violent crime will be a priority
Landry has said combating violent crime will be a priority when he takes over.
On Tuesday, Landry tweeted that the New Year's Eve broadcast in New Orleans was canceled due to crime concerns.
“This is the sad reality of the city of New Orleans right now. No one feels safe,” he wrote.
“I look forward to holding our special session on crime and bringing law and order back to our streets.”
A new report from MoneyGeek, published Friday, analyzed the costs of violent crimes – murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault – and found that New Orleans was second worst among major cities.
Only Birmingham, Alabama, was worse. Third was St. Louis, Missouri; fourth was Detroit, Michigan; and fifth was Memphis, Tennessee.
However, Birmingham did not have the highest rate of violent crime. Memphis, Detroit and Little Rock, Arkansas all saw more violent crimes per capita.
Louisiana also fared poorly among small cities in the cost of violent crime: Monroe was the worst, with Alexandria fifth and Houma eighth.
Landry has said he plans to call the Legislature into a special session on crime, but has yet to put forward an agenda or proposals for lawmakers to consider. Louisiana reliever reported last month.
A prisoner is pictured at Angola Prison in Louisiana, nicknamed Alcatraz of the South
Angola Prison, the country's largest maximum security facility, is named after the former plantation that occupied this area. That in turn was named for the African country that was the origin of many enslaved Africans brought to Louisiana
On his campaign website, Landry says, “Crime in Louisiana is out of control. Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport are among the top ten most dangerous cities in the country.
“Things won't get better until we have leaders who have the courage to stand up and make it a priority.
“As governor, Jeff Landry will prioritize safety in our communities and continue to be a leading voice on public safety in our state.”
Landry states on his campaign website that he plans to hire more police officers and allow them to make more arrests.
“We need to close the revolving door of criminals who commit a crime, get caught, go to jail for a short period of time and commit another crime,” he said.
'This cycle of 'catch and release' is unacceptable.
“Some individuals can be rehabilitated while in prison and return as contributing members of society; others cannot. We will work to identify those who should not be on the streets and do everything in our power to keep them in jail.”