Gov. John Bel Edwards and other Louisiana officials are heading to Washington to talk about the state's efforts to revamp the criminal justice system and lessen its top-of-the-nation incarceration rate.
The Democratic governor will speak at a Pew Charitable Trusts' event Tuesday. He'll be joined by Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc; Republican state Rep. Tanner Magee, a sponsor of the legislation; and Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre.
The group will discuss bills passed this year that expand probation and parole opportunities and shrink sentences, mainly for non-violent offenders. The changes also bolster spending on programs aimed at helping people who leave prison so they don't reoffend.
The legislation won bipartisan support, but the changes have been controversial.
Pew provided nonpartisan data analysis and technical assistance for the overhaul effort in Louisiana.