Louisiana's outgoing governor pardoned 40 people convicted of murder in the final three months of his rule, seeking to end the state's unwelcome reputation as the country's most incarcerated state.
John Bel Edwards, the South's only Democratic governor, will leave office on Jan. 8 after serving the maximum term of two four years.
The 57-year-old attorney has made reducing Louisiana's prison population a priority.
According to the Prison Policy Initiative, Louisiana incarcerates more people per capita than any other democracy in the world, with 1,094 people behind bars for every 100,000 residents. In comparison, the US incarcerates a total of 664 per 100,000; in the UK only 129.
In 2017, Edwards signed a law that shortened some prison sentences; kept certain nonviolent offenders out of prison; Eligibility for parole was expanded and more money was made available for education and training for ex-offenders.
And since October, he has pardoned 56 inmates nationwide — including 40 convicted murderers.
John Bel Edwards, who is stepping down as Louisiana governor in January, has pardoned 56 people since October – including 40 murderers
Anthony Riggins is seen during a hearing regarding his release from prison
Venson Dean Vampran is pictured with his lawyer trying to fight for his release from prison
Among those released was a man who was in the electric chair for the April 1983 murder of a taxi driver just seven hours before his arrest.
David Rushing of New Orleans was 18 when he confessed to trying to rob a convenience store and gas station but was thwarted, hailed a taxi and shot the driver, Danny Archer.
He was sentenced to death, but his lawyers successfully appealed, citing prosecutorial misconduct and an ineffective defense.
Another man pardoned by Edwards was Anthony Riggins, who shot dead unarmed 68-year-old store owner Peter Davenhauer in the New Orleans suburb of Gretna.
Riggins was convicted in November 1977.
One-third of those convicted of murder, Venson Dean Vampran, was found guilty of killing hitchhiker Mark Bass and raping his wife Susan Bass in October 1984. He was 25.
Others released by Edwards in the last three months include armed robbers, drug dealers and an arsonist.
Edwards told Nola.com that he feared his Republican successor, Jeff Landry, would roll back his prison and justice reforms.
Landry, the current attorney general, pushed to lock up more people, cut taxes and limit government regulation. He has also promised to force district attorneys to prosecute more people and seek tougher sentences.
But Edwards said he is proud of his work over the last 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 improved access to health care.
Edwards said he feels his moves to reduce the prison population are a step in the right direction.
“For as long as I can remember, Louisiana's knee-jerk reaction to crime increases was to put more people in prison and keep them there longer,” he said.
“As a result, we have never been safer.” “There is no data to suggest that any 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 15 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 antithetical to 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 use it immediately.
“Look, this is ridiculous,” Landry told a radio host in June.
“We have not executed anyone since 2010. All the states around us are carrying out executions and performing significantly better on crime metrics than Louisiana.”
Neighboring Texas is the only state where executions took place in 2023, and it recorded the second-highest number of murders in the country in 2022, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report.
Landry said Louisiana made a “promise” to execute these prisoners, Rolling Stone reported, and must keep that promise.
“Every time we fail to keep our part of the contract or our promises, it is a further loss of trust between our citizens and the government,” he said.
Jeff Landry will take over as governor from Edwards in January and said combating violent crime will be a priority
Landry said combating violent crime will be a priority when he takes office.
On Tuesday, Landry tweeted about the New Year's Eve show in New Orleans being 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 restoring law and order to our streets.”
A new report from MoneyGeek released Friday analyzed the costs of violent crime — murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — and found that New Orleans was the second highest 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 had more violent crime per capita.
Among small towns, Louisiana also fared poorly when it came to the cost of violent crime: Monroe scored the worst, followed by Alexandria in fifth and Houma in eighth.
Landry has said he intends to call the Legislature into a special session on crime, but he has not yet presented an agenda or proposals for lawmakers to consider, Louisiana Illuminator reported last month.
Pictured is an inmate at Angola Prison in Louisiana – also known as the Alcatraz of the South
Angola Prison, the largest maximum security prison in the country, is named after the former plantation that occupied the area. This in turn was named after the African country from which many enslaved Africans who were brought to Louisiana came from
On his campaign website, Landry states: “Crime in Louisiana is out of control.” Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport are among the 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 the issue a priority.”
“As governor, Jeff Landry will prioritize safety in our communities and continue to be a leading voice for public safety in our state.”
Landry says on his campaign website that he plans to hire more police officers and empower them to make more arrests.
“We need to close the revolving door of criminals who commit a crime, get caught, go to prison for a short time and reoffend,” he said.
“This cycle of catch and release is unacceptable.
“Some people can be rehabilitated 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 prison hold.”