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Louisiana Survivors for Reform

Louisiana Survivors for Reform (LSR) is a coalition of crime survivors, homicide victims’ families, and organizations creating change in the criminal justice system. We are a group with a multitude of identities, and backgrounds united in the conviction that any approach to reform needs to include the voices of crime survivors and others directly impacted by the current system. Since 2018, LSR has been organizing through policy, education, and community. We believe that too often, victims are silenced or ignored, and we recognize that harm and healing exist on a continuum. We believe the voice of every survivor should be heard and that the primary focus of reform should be supporting all impacted individuals and communities, investment in crime prevention strategies, and restorative justice that is trauma-informed. To get involved or learn more please email lsr@defendla.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

Since 2022, Louisiana Survivors Reform has brought the Justice for Survivors Act to the Louisiana legislature. The dynamics of intimate partner violence, human trafficking, and sexual abuse are not adequately understood or accounted for in the Louisiana legal system. As a result, survivors are criminalized for defending themselves against an abuser or for being coerced to participate in a crime under duress. The Justice for Survivors Act would address this gap in the legal system, because survivors should not have to choose between incarceration and death. Click here to learn about the Justice for Survivors Act

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LSR in the News

The Louisiana Survivors for Reform, alongside STAR and LaFASA, File amicus brief in the Louisiana Supreme Court

In Louisiana, crime victims have a constitutional and statutory right to be treated in a dignified, fair, and respectful manner by prosecutors. Sometimes, prosecutors acting within their formal duties are shielded from civil suit by the doctrine of absolute immunity. But that immunity does not apply in all contexts. For example, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently denied immunity to prosecutors, including Iain Dover, after they lied to crime victims and witnesses by fabricating subpoenas to compel their cooperation. That admonition didn't stop ADA Dover from allegedly lying, yet again, to both a crime survivor and the court.

Along with STAR and LaFASA, LSR argued in an amicus brief to the Louisiana Supreme Court that the conduct alleged here falls outside the bounds of the legitimate operation of the criminal justice system and has resulted in serious constitutional violations. Crime survivors who are abused by prosecutors, as is alleged here, are less willing to cooperate with the authorities to identify and bring perpetrators to justice. The conduct alleged in this case is likely to further buttress hostility toward and suspicion of prosecutors and, as a result, lead more crime victims to conclude that the personal cost of seeking justice is simply too high.

Survivor Informed Task Force Final Report and Recommendations

Submitted to the Louisiana Legislature February 2022

This report is drafted in recognition that people experience many types of violence which lead directly or indirectly to their incarceration. As required by its enabling legislation, this Task Force focused its research and discussion specifically on survivors of interpersonal violence and sexual violence who were subsequently punished, mainly for defending themselves against an abuser or after being coerced into a crime.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 45 (2021), authored by Senator Patrick McMath, passed unanimously in the 2021 Regular Louisiana Legislative Session. SCR 45 created the Survivor Informed Task Force (SITF) and directed it to study the link between trauma, abuse, and subsequent incarceration, including secondary survivors of domestic or intimate partner violence, and to make recommendations to the legislature. The Task Force was given six specific duties, outlined below under “Subject Areas of Focus.” This report contains recommendations for each subject area.

Survivors of violence gathered for the first time at State Capitol for Lobby Day - WGNO

“More than 50 survivors of interpersonal and systemic violence, victims’ loved ones, allies, and representatives of victim advocacy organizations gathered in Baton Rouge for the first Louisiana Survivors of Violence Lobby Day. Constituents met in the State Library to receive advocacy training and heard from community organizations. The group spoke with elected officials about the needs and challenges facing survivors in Louisiana.

The goal of Survivors of Violence Lobby Day was to connect with lawmakers about ways to invest in crime prevention strategies, resources for directly impacted communities, and how to make Louisiana’s Capitol a more trauma-informed and welcoming place to share their stories.

5 Death Penalty Facts That Will Make You Want To Abolish It — Now - Your Tango

“As the streets of America fill with protestors calling for an end to police brutality and a defunding of law enforcement, it is important to connect these demands with movements for broader criminal justice reform.

The first federal execution in over 17 years took place just today, after being cleared by the Supreme Court (despite the objections of the victims' relatives), bringing this issue to the forefront of many Americans' minds.”

Op-Ed: There is no justice without healing - The Lens

“As a survivor of violence and an advocate for criminal justice reform, I’ve seen first-hand how our legal system fails to meet the needs of survivors and victims’ families.

Like most states, Louisiana does not provide adequate direct assistance or enough support services to people and communities impacted by crime. So organizations like Louisiana Survivors for Reform (LSR) — the coalition I am proud to organize — leads survivors to one another, using advocacy as a form of healing, for themselves and their loved ones.”

Letter: Including Pellerin's criminal record tantamount to victim 'shaming'

“I was incredibly disappointed and enraged by Megan Wyatt’s article outlining the criminal history of Trayford Pellerin.

As a crime survivor and the coordinator of the Louisiana Survivors for Reform coalition, this unnecessary and degrading coverage of a shooting-death victim is the type of shaming our coalition exists to combat. A man was shot to death by police officers; he has been taken from his loved ones. Pellerin’s past involvement with the criminal justice system is not relevant and it most certainly does not justify the deadly use of force by Lafayette police.”