The Louisiana Jail and Prison System: Inmate Search and Lookup
Contrary to what many people think, “jail” and “prison” are not the same thing in Louisiana. Both jails and prisons confine people who have been accused of crimes, but as our Louisiana Criminal Defense attorneys explain in this article, the management, population and locations of Louisiana jails and prisons are very different.
One distinction between jails and prisons is who runs them. Whereas the jails in Louisiana are overseen by city or parish government entities such as the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana’s prisons are administered by the state government–specifically, the Louisiana Department of Corrections. The federal government also operates prisons.
Another difference between Louisiana jails and prisons is the length of time the inmates are incarcerated. Jails, also called “detention centers,” hold people who have been arrested, who are awaiting trial, and who are serving misdemeanor sentences, which are only six months or less. Jails may also get paid by the State to house inmates that are doing more lengthy sentences. Prison, in contrast, is specifically meant to house people convicted of felonies, which are more serious crimes that carry sentences of a year or more.
Since prisons, also called “correctional facilities,” are designed to keep people in custody for long durations, they tend to be bigger and have more exercise facilities, religious services and educational programs than jails do. And while jails detain both male and female inmates, each Louisiana prison is gender-specific.
The final way Louisiana jails and prisons differ is where they are located. Since most jail inmates are in the pretrial phase of their cases or are awaiting sentencing, jails are typically located in the heart of each city’s downtown within blocks of the courthouse where the inmates’ cases are heard.
Most of Louisiana’s prisons, on the other hand, are located in remote areas with very little around them for miles. Prisons are classified as having either minimum, medium or maximum security. And because Louisiana is a death penalty state, prisons usually have a “death row” and the facilities to administer capital punishment. Death Row is at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana.
Below are links to our informational pages on some of the jails in Louisiana. Scroll down further for links to the Louisiana Department of Corrections’ official prison pages.
Jails in Louisiana – General Information and Inmate Search
Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison
Lafayette Parish Correctional Center
Livingston Parish Detention Center
Pointe Coupee Detention Center
West Baton Rouge Detention Center
Louisiana State Prisons
Allen Correctional Center (private)
Avoyelles Correctional Center – As of 2012, the state planned to privatize Avoyelles
B. B. Rayburn Correctional Center
David Wade Correctional Center
Elayn Hunt Correctional Center
Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women
Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison
Winn Correctional Center (private)
Federal Prisons in Louisiana
Federal Correctional Institution, Oakdale
United States Penitentiary, Pollock
We are here to help…
Have you been arrested in Louisiana? We are here to help you. Call our Louisiana Criminal Defense Lawyers to discuss your case at 225-964-6720.
Louisiana DWI & Criminal Lawyers
Louisiana criminal lawyers and DWI attorneys at the Barkemeyer Law Firm providing legal defense services for clients in Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, Tangipahoa, Port Allen, Alexandria, New Orleans, Lafayette, Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Hahnville, Chalmette, Slidell, St. Tammany, St. Charles, St. John, St. Bernard, Mandeville, Covington, Shreveport, Bossier, Jefferson, and all of Louisiana.
DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is not formal legal advice nor does it create an attorney-client relationship.
Louisiana DWI And Criminal Law Firm
