The Louisiana department of corrections is keeping more than a quarter of inmates behind bars past their scheduled release date, the US Justice Department said in a report Wednesday.

"The Louisiana department of corrections is keeping more than a quarter of inmates behind bars past their scheduled release date, the US Justice Department said in a report Wednesday.

According to the Justice Department, between January and April 2022 alone, nearly 27% of those released from LDOC custody – nearly 4,100 people – were held past their release dates.

Of those held beyond their release dates, 24% were held for at least 90 extra days.

“Our investigation uncovered evidence of systemic violations by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections that have resulted in the routine confinement of people far beyond the dates when they are legally entitled to be released,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who heads DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. "