To the Editor:
As a concerned citizen deeply invested in the future of Louisiana, I am writing to urge voters to reject the proposed amendments, particularly Amendment 3, in the upcoming March 29th election. Our state stands at a critical crossroads, where our choices will either perpetuate a cycle of systemic harm or open a path toward genuine progress and healing.
Louisiana has long struggled with a deeply troubling narrative—one that prioritizes punishment over prevention, incarceration over education. We are a state with the highest incarceration rate in the nation, a shameful distinction that is not just a statistic but a profound moral failure. While crime rates have actually been declining, we continue to invest heavily in expanding our prison systems instead of addressing the root causes of societal challenges.
Education is the most powerful tool we have to break cycles of poverty and crime. Consider the stark contrast with Massachusetts, a state that demonstrates how investing in education directly correlates with lower incarceration rates. Their commitment to comprehensive education has created pathways of opportunity that reduce crime naturally and humanely. Louisiana, by contrast, continues to disinvest in our most precious resource—our children.
Amendment 3, and the broader slate of amendments, represents another step backward. These proposals seem more focused on expanding punitive measures than on creating meaningful solutions. We cannot continue to treat our societal challenges as problems to be contained rather than prevented. Every dollar spent on expanding prison infrastructure is a dollar not spent on schools, on early childhood education, on mental health services, on job training, and on community development.
As a state that proudly proclaims its Christian values, we seem to have forgotten the most fundamental teaching: the inherent worth of every human being. If we truly believe that each person is created in God’s image, then our systems should reflect compassion, rehabilitation, and genuine opportunity—not perpetual punishment.
Our historical legacy is complex and painful. Louisiana’s deep connections to historical systems of oppression—particularly slavery—continue to manifest in our current institutions. Our current approach to criminal justice is a modern echo of those historical injustices, disproportionately affecting communities of color and perpetuating cycles of marginalization. Voting “No” on these amendments is more than a political stance—it’s a moral imperative. It’s a declaration that we value prevention over punishment, education over incarceration, and human potential over institutional control. We must invest in our people, particularly our children, understanding that their success is our collective success.
Imagine a Louisiana where every child has access to quality education, where community resources support growth and healing, where we measure our progress not by how many we can lock away, but by how many we can lift up. This is not a radical idea—it’s a fundamental commitment to human dignity.
To my fellow Louisiana voters: On March 29th, when you enter the voting booth, remember that your vote is more than a mark on a ballot. It’s a statement about who we are as a community, what we value, and what kind of future we want to create.
A “NO” vote on these amendments is a “Yes” to our children’s potential.
Sincerely,
@timemovie
Watch Fox’s urgent plea to Louisiana mothers HERE.
In 2019, Big Easy Magazine published the story of Fox and Rob. Fox and Rob Richardson are criminal justice reform advocates and co-founders of PDMNOLA, a nonprofit working to end mass incarceration. Their work is rooted in lived experience—Rob served 21 years in prison before the couple reunited and began their fight for change.
