Why do we need the Justice for Survivors Act?
Survivors of abuse are experiencing extremely high rates violence in Louisiana. Survivors are encouraged by lawmakers and law enforcement to protect themselves and seek state assistance, but often when they do they are put in further danger or criminalized.
More resources like the Justice for Survivors Act are urgently needed to keep survivors safe.
DATA ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING, DOMESTIC ABUSE, AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN LOUISIANA
Louisiana has the 5th highest rate of women killed by men in the nation.
The amount of time a survivor who is serving life without parole for second degree murder of their abusive partner must wait before even applying for clemency.
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For women killed by men in Louisiana in 2020 where the victim to offender relationship could be identified, 98% of female victims were murdered by someone they knew.
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Of the victims who knew the person who killed them, 56% were their wives, common-law wives, ex-wives, or girlfriends.
From 2017 to 2023, a total of 6,778 individual survivors of human trafficking were identified and provided with victim services in Louisiana.
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Louisiana has a rate of about 46 rapes per 100,000 people which is 20% higher than the national average.
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of sexual assaults in Louisiana go unreported.
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of Louisiana voters support allowing people who were victims of domestic violence to raise abuse or coercion as a factor in sentencing or resentencing.
%
of Louisiana voters support providing a legal process for people convicted of crimes that occurred in the context of domestic violence or trafficking to request sentencing review.
State by state, legislatures are taking action on this issue. Most recently, Oklahoma passed a survivor justice act in 2024 and Georgia in 2025 with nearly unanimous votes. Louisiana has the opportunity to similarly modernize its sentencing code with the Justice for Survivors Act.
Jon Echols, bill author of the Oklahoma Survivor Justice Act, said, “This law is gender-neutral. If somebody is a survivor of domestic abuse and that abuse is connected to the offense, then they should have the right to be heard. Period.”
