After a series of lawsuits brought by the Law Office of William Most and co-counsel, the U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that it has "opened a statewide civil investigation into Louisiana’s prisoner release practices." The investigation is a joint effort of the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana.

The U.S. DOJ says it "will examine the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections’ policies and practices for ensuring the timely release of state prisoners in the custody of the Louisiana Department of Corrections who are incarcerated in state and local correctional facilities, including practices related to prisoners who are eligible for immediate release."

On WWL-TV, attorney William Most pointed out that the result of the DOC’s mismanagement is: “‘Missed holidays, missed birthdays, missed Christmases, missed Thanksgivings, family time that these people will never get back.”

Watch the WWL-TV coverage here.