Freedom & Justice Together

We envision a world without prisons. 

A world where investments in public health, education, housing, sustainability, and true democracy make police and prisons - and the very mindsets that produce them - obsolete. A world where we will keep each other safe and hold each other accountable when we make mistakes or cause harm. A world where our communities will be strong enough to rely on each other without depending on cages and police, which only create a false sense of safety for some while systematically enslaving others. 

There is a long legacy of oppression in Louisiana leading to the targeting, criminalizing and imprisoning of racial minorities and poor people. Decarcerate Louisiana started in 2014 when people inside and outside the prison system began supporting one another, organizing, and working for change. Decarcerate Louisiana brings together inside and outside organizers to advocate for abolition and social change. 

Our mission is to engage in grassroots organizing and policy advocacy to:

(1) Abolish slavery as punishment for a crime; 

(2) Dismantle the Prison-Industrial Complex by eliminating the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act; Life Without Parole sentences, the Prison Litigation Reform Act; and any unjust "tough on crime" laws that marginalize and criminalize people without giving them a chance to engage in restorative justice and reach their full potential;

3) End the historic and ongoing systemic oppression of the People through capitalist exploitation, environmental racism, and other forms of state violence