Justice And Accountability Center

THE JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY CENTER OF LOUISIANA HELPS PEOPLE RECOVER FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

RE-ENTRY PROGRAM: JAC CONTINUED OUR MONTHLY RE-ENTRY LEGAL CLINICS, WHICH WE FACILITATED TWELVE TIMES, SERVING 214 CLIENTS. JAC UTILIZED STAFF AND PRO BONO ATTORNEYS, AS WELL AS COORDINATED WITH PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, TO REMOVE LEGAL BARRIERS THAT COULD DERAIL RE-ENTRY SUCH AS ELIMINATING PRESCRIBED TRAFFIC TICKETS, APPLYING FOR (AND APPEALING DENIALS OF) PUBLIC BENEFITS INCLUDING DISASTER BENEFITS, ASSISTING WITH TRANSPORTATION WORKER IDENTIFICATION CREDENTIAL (TWIC) CARD WAIVERS AND APPEALS, REINSTATING DRIVER'S LICENSES, ADDRESSING CONSUMER DEBT, AND MODIFYING CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS TO AMOUNTS THAT ARE MORE MANAGEABLE. WE ALSO HOSTED THREE ADDITIONAL DISASTER-BENEFITS SPECIFIC LEGAL CLINICS FOLLOWING HURRICANE IDA WITH FEMA AND SBA. THROUGH OUR REENTRY ATTACHMENT DOCKET PROGRAM WE ELIMINATED 308,856 IN OUTDATED TRAFFIC DEBT AT THE NEW ORLEANS MUNICIPAL TRAFFIC COURT FOR 143 PEOPLE IN 563 CASES, AND 3,695 IN DEBT FOR 12 INDIVIDUALS AT THE BATON ROUGE CITY COURT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE 19TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT. WE CONTINUED PROVIDING HOLISTIC REENTRY LEGAL SERVICES TO CLIENTS OF THE FINANCIAL ACCESS RESOURCES AND INCLUSION PROJECT OF DISABILITY RIGHTS LOUISIANA, EDEN HOUSE (SURVIVORS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING), AND JUSTICE REINVESTMENT ACT CLIENTS. WE SUCCESSFULLY FOUGHT AGAINST THE PASSAGE OF THREE MAJOR PIECES OF LEGISLATION THAT WOULD HAVE NARROWED OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH CRIMINAL RECORDS TO MAINTAIN OR REINSTATE THEIR DRIVER'S LICENSES, AND CONTINUED OUR WORK TO ELIMINATING USER PAY FEES AND COSTS IN THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM BY SERVING ON THE LOUISIANA COMMISSION ON JUSTICE SYSTEM FUNDING AND CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON MOVING TOWARD A UNIFIED COURT SYSTEM. TOWARDS ELIMINATING THE USE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, WE GREW THE LOUISIANA STOP SOLITARY COALITION, WHICH WE FOUNDED AND FACILITATE, TO NEARLY 400 MEMBERS INCLUDING THREE WORKING GROUPS FOCUSING ON THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, JAILS, AND FAITH COMMUNITIES.

EXPUNGEMENT PROGRAM: JAC HELD 12 EXPUNGEMENT WORKSHOPS IN 2021, PROVIDING ADVICE OR REPRESENTATION TO 166 INDIVIDUALS, UTILIZING APPROXIMATELY 20 PRO BONO ATTORNEYS AND VOLUNTEERS TO FACILITATE THE WORKSHOPS. WE RE-LAUNCHED OUR EXPUNGEMENT WEB-BASED APP, WHICH WAS ACCESSED BY OVER 2,000 PEOPLE DURING 2021. THE MAJORITY OF OUR EXPUNGEMENT PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ARE LOW- INCOME, AFRICAN-AMERICAN PEOPLE FROM OVERPOLICED NEIGHBORHOODS, WHO WE SERVE THROUGH EXPUNGEMENT WORKSHOPS FOR INDIVIDUALS FROM EIGHTEEN PARISHES THROUGHOUT LOUISIANA. WE CONTINUED TO FACILITATE THE LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON AUTOMATED EXPUNGEMENTS, THE "CLEAN SLATE TASK FORCE,- AND WHILE THE AUTOMATED EXPUNGEMENT BILL WE SUPPORTED DID NOT PASS, WE CONTINUED TO BUILD A COMMUNITY BASED COALITION AND SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED FOR A LAW FOR MORE PEOPLE ON MISDEMEANOR PROBATION TO HAVE ACCESS TO RECORD CLEARING. WE JOINED THE FAIR CHANCE HIRING ACT COALITION AND SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED FOR THE ACT'S PASSAGE, WHICH PROHIBITS EMPLOYERS FROM CONSIDERING ARRESTS THAT DID NOT RESULT IN CONVICTION DURING THE HIRING PROCESS.