Governor says carjackers ‘will spend a long time in jail’ as lawmakers advance harsher punishment

By SARA CLINE
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — In an effort to subdue violent crimes, lawmakers have returned to the Capitol for a short special legislative session and are advancing a slew of Republican-authored tough-on-crime policies. The aggressive agenda could reshape parts of the Louisiana’s criminal justice system and public safety sector. Among the proposed legislation is harsher punishment for certain crimes that plague urban areas, including carjacking. Under one bill, which received bipartisan support in a committee Tuesday and will advance to the House floor for debate, if someone is found guilty of carjacking, the minimum sentence would increase from two years to five. If the crime results in bodily injury, the offender would serve 20 to 30 years in jail without parole.