Louisiana Attorney General Joins Bipartisan Coalition Opposing Efforts To Weaken Laws Against Human Trafficking And Sexual Abuse

Published December 13, 2021

Baton Rouge, LA – Attorney General Jeff Landry has joined 35 other state attorneys general in encouraging the American Law Institute (ALI) to reject proposed modifications to Section 213 of the Model Penal Code. If passed, these measures will limit law enforcement’s ability to protect the public from recidivist behavior while also weakening states’ ability to pursue sexual assault, abuse, and exploitation, as well as trafficking crimes.

“Sex crimes are horrific offenses that can leave long-lasting, harmful effects on victims, their families, their friends, and our communities,” said Attorney General Landry. “These dangerous proposals present a direct threat to public safety; we cannot allow criminals to have more protection than the victims they traumatize.”

Attorney General Landry and his colleagues wrote to the ALI in a letter.: “As Attorneys General, we urge the ALI to consider the danger the proposed changes would pose to the public, especially children, and abandon its plans to amend this article… The revisions contemplated fail to treat sex predators appropriately and would provide them more freedom to commit these heinous crimes again, putting the citizens we represent at greater risk of becoming victims.”

The proposed amendments, according to Landry, are filled with incorrect terminology that will make it difficult for prosecutors to do their jobs and get justice for crime victims. If enforced, this legislation would exempt people who intentionally profit from their involvement in sex trafficking from criminal culpability. It would also minimize the number of offenses that require registration and make registration listings inaccessible to the public.

“Louisiana has some of the strongest laws regarding human trafficking and sexual predators,” concluded Attorney General Landry. “It is important that we do not let federal code override the great work being done here to make our State safer.”