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Bill

HB 525

PUBLIC SFTY/DEPARTMENT: Provides for the online publication and maintenance of certain data used and compiled by the DPS&C (EG NO IMPACT See Note)

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Barbara Carpenter

Louisiana DPS&C must publicly publish monthly, machine-readable correctional census and underlying data (with a codebook) from state and parish facilities, by Oct 1, 2026.

Called from the calendar.
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Bill Summary · HB 525

Summary of HB 525 (Louisiana, 2026 Regular Session)

Purpose and intent

  • Establishes a statutory framework requiring the Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C) to online-publish and continuously maintain certain correctional data and underlying datasets.
  • Aims to promote transparency, accountability, and informed policymaking by providing public, machine-readable access to correctional census, demographic, admissions, releases, mortality, and related operational data.
  • Builds on prior legislative interest (Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 32 of 2024) by codifying publication requirements.

Key provisions and changes

New statute created

  • Enacts R.S. 15:827.2.1 to govern collection, publication, and maintenance of correctional data by DPS&C.

Monthly publication of reports (machine-readable)

  • DPS&C must publish on its public website, within 30 days after the end of each calendar month:
    • The offender census for parish prisons/jails.
    • The offender census for state correctional facilities.
  • Publication format requirements:
    • Provide data in both Microsoft Excel and CSV formats.
    • Ensure comparable data elements across parish and state facilities where applicable.
    • Include breakdowns for individuals housed on behalf of other agencies (e.g., ICE, U.S. Marshals, sentenced to parish facilities, pre-trial detainees).

Publication of underlying datasets

  • DPS&C must publish, in Excel and CSV formats, all underlying datasets used to generate informational dashboards, including but not limited to:
    • Interactive demographic dashboards: prison population demographics, demographic trends, and population under supervision.
    • Interactive admission and release dashboards: demographics for admissions and releases by calendar year.
    • Interactive death dashboard: demographics of deaths within the prison population.
  • Datasets must be updated monthly; each dataset must include all variables used to generate the corresponding dashboard.
  • A current codebook must accompany each published dataset, containing:
    • Variable definitions, data types, coding values/descriptions.
    • Methodology for data compilation or calculation.
    • Known limitations or exclusions.

Data catalog and access

  • DPS&C must publish and maintain a publicly accessible index of correctional datasets, including:
    • Dataset name and general description.
    • Available date range and update frequency.
    • Download availability.
    • Public records contact information.

Confidentiality and privacy

  • Nothing in the act requires disclosure of personally identifiable information protected by state or federal law.
  • DPS&C may redact identifying information as needed to comply with confidentiality requirements, so long as aggregate and anonymized data are published to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Compliance and timelines

  • DPS&C must implement the provisions no later than October 1, 2026.
  • A written compliance report must be submitted to:
    • House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice
    • Senate Committee on Judiciary B no later than March 31, 2027.

Who and what is affected

  • Affected entity: Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C).
  • Beneficiaries: General public, researchers, policymakers, journalists, and other stakeholders seeking access to correctional data.
  • Data coverage includes:
    • Offender census data (parish and state facilities).
    • Demographics, admissions, releases, and mortality data, plus related dashboards.
  • Data may be used to inform policy decisions, budget discussions, and public oversight.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Implementation deadline: October 1, 2026.
  • Initial compliance certification due by March 31, 2027.
  • Monthly cadence for data publication and dataset updates begins after implementation.
  • There is an emphasis on providing machine-readable formats (Excel and CSV) and on transparency tools (dashboards) while protecting sensitive information.

Additional context

  • The bill was amended by the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice to specify Excel as a primary format, adjust update frequency (notably altering some data refresh rates to annual for certain admissions/releases data in amendments during its process), and remove a requirement related to parish offender census publication in the final version.
  • Overall, the bill codifies ongoing, public access to detailed correctional data while balancing privacy protections.

If you’d like, I can tailor this summary for policymakers, researchers, or general readers, or extract a concise one-page briefing.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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