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Committee advances bill tightening notice requirements after improper inmate releases
Summary
HB 76 as amended narrows notification requirements for improper releases of inmates convicted of felony crimes of violence, requires notification to the district attorney and allows sheriffs discretion on notifying local media; the committee reported the bill favorably.
The committee adopted amendments to House Bill 76 to require notification when an inmate is improperly released from a parish jail or prison and to narrow recipients and circumstances for that notification.
Representative Landry said the change follows incidents including a mistaken release and a major escape and described the amendments as a follow-up to last year’s legislation. The adopted amendment set 20 13 limits required notification to improperly released inmates who were detained or convicted for a felony crime of violence, clarifies that notification should be provided "as soon as practicable," and replaces a catchall list of recipients with a requirement to notify the district attorney and local media outlets in the parish.
Sponsor and committee members said they worked with sheriffs to add language making media notification discretionary to allow sheriffs to delay public alerts in circumstances where immediate media notice could endanger recovery efforts. Jill Dennis of the Association of Supervised Ankle Monitoring Providers testified about logistical gaps that can leave victims unaware when offenders are released before ankle monitors are installed.
After discussion the amendment was adopted and the committee reported HB 76 as amended.
