HCR 64

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 64
BY REPRESENTATIVES MOORE AND MARTINEZ
  A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
To urge the Louisiana Supreme Court drug and specialty court program to continue its study
       of the connection between mental health issues, homelessness, and the criminal
       justice system and the effectiveness of behavioral health courts as an alternative to
       the traditional judicial system.
       WHEREAS, studies have shown that people who suffer from mental illnesses are
more likely to enter into the criminal justice system when they do not have access to quality
behavioral health services in their communities; and
       WHEREAS, national studies indicate that the rates of mental illness are consistently
higher in the criminal justice system; and
       WHEREAS, approximately half of the United States jail population and over one-
third of the United States prison population were diagnosed with a mental illness in 2020;
and
       WHEREAS, between 2018 and 2019, five hundred twenty-one thousand people in
Louisiana received mental health services the previous year; and
       WHEREAS, over one-third of Louisiana's total incarcerated adult individuals were
identified as receiving some level of mental health care in 2019; and
       WHEREAS, the Legislature of Louisiana enacted the "Mental Health Court
Treatment Act" in 2013, which established mental health court treatment programs; and
       WHEREAS, the program allows people with mental illnesses to serve their sentences
on probation if they comply with certain requirements; and
       WHEREAS, only three behavioral health courts have been launched in the parishes
of Calcasieu, Rapides, and St. Tammany; and
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HCR NO. 64  ENROLLED
        WHEREAS, homeless individuals may also be more likely to have mental health
conditions which may increase their risk of involvement in the criminal justice system; and
        WHEREAS, people with severe mental illness may be less able to cope with the
stresses of homelessness or may perpetrate criminal acts that are manifestations of their
illness; and
        WHEREAS, in 2008, the rate of homelessness among jail inmates who had been
homeless in the previous year and homeless at the time of incarceration was approximately
seven and a half to eleven and one-third times the annual rate of homelessness in the general
population; and
        WHEREAS, it is important to understand the needs of Louisiana residents who are
incarcerated and suffer from mental illness in order to understand the impact of untreated
mental illnesses on the criminal justice system and to reduce recidivism; and
        WHEREAS, a study was conducted and a report was presented to the legislature on
February 13, 2026, which recommended that further information should be gathered from
the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Office database.
        THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court program to study the
connection between mental health issues, homelessness, and the criminal justice system.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Supreme Court drug and specialty
court program shall continue to survey or invite academic institutions of higher learning or
policy institutes to present ideas on how they can assist with the study of the effectiveness,
impact, and operational costs of the behavioral health courts in Calcasieu Parish, Rapides
Parish, and St. Tammany Parish and report its findings and recommendations to the House
and Senate committees on health and welfare and judiciary no later than February 1, 2027.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Supreme Court drug and specialty
court program shall expand its study to include a survey of the potential effectiveness,
impact, and operational costs to implement behavioral health courts in Ouachita Parish, East
Baton Rouge Parish, and Orleans Parish, and report its findings and recommendations to the
House and Senate committees on health and welfare and judiciary no later than January 1,
2027.
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HCR NO. 64  ENROLLED
  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any university partner in this state that wishes
to contribute to this effort that is not solely focused on mental health, but also criminal
justice, sociology, and political science, shall be ideally considered for participation in this
study.
  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and
Corrections and the Louisiana Department of Health shall provide information, as necessary,
to produce the report requested in this Resolution.
  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Supreme Court drug and specialty
court program shall submit one print copy and one electronic copy of any report produced
pursuant to this Resolution to the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library as required
by R.S. 24:772.
  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
judicial administrator of the Louisiana Supreme Court drug and specialty court program.
  SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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