On April 28th, students in the Policy Advocacy Clinic traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to present their research on Republican support for criminal justice reform in the South. The students spent the semester analyzing thousands of bills introduced since 2000 across 14 Southern states to quantify the extent of Republican legislative engagement on reform. This research was conducted in response to a request from Southern civil rights advocates seeking to demonstrate the bipartisan nature of reform in the region.

The students found that since 2000, Republican legislators have introduced 1,330 criminal justice reform bills in these states, of which 472—approximately 35 percent—were enacted into law. These reforms spanned 11 issue areas, with the most common categories including sentencing reform (18.1%), reentry (17.9%), and diversion programs (13.8%).

The students compiled their findings into a 581-page research memorandum and delivered a 12-minute PowerPoint presentation at the Louisiana State Capitol to both the Republican Caucus and the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. Lawmakers responded with enthusiasm, engaging the students in discussion and praising the depth and relevance of their work.

This Southern criminal justice reform project was one of four major efforts undertaken by Policy Advocacy Clinic students this year. Two additional teams will present their final findings next month in Geneva, Switzerland, to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Refugee Agency, covering issues related to US compliance with the UN Convention Against Torture and refugee policies. A fourth team will present its research on digital age verification to the New York Attorney General’s Office in New York City.