Louisiana has new prisons chief to oversee nation's most incarcerated population

Gov. Jeff Landry has appointed Gary Westcott as secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, where he will oversee the prison system in a state with the highest incarceration rate in America.

Westcott, a three-decade veteran of the agency, was promoted from deputy secretary after longtime Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc resigned last week because of health reasons.

Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the United States with 1,067 people incarcerated per 100,000, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.

Landry made reducing crime a tenet of his election campaign last year and during his first eight months as governor to address what is the top concern among Louisiana residents, according to an annual LSU survey.

He called the new Legislature in for a Special Session on crime in January soon after his inauguration and has since ushered in a host of new tough-on-crime laws that include longer prison sentences and fewer opportunities for probation and parole.

“At a time where public safety is a top priority for citizens across our state, I can think of no better person to lead the Department of Public Safety and Corrections than Gary Westcott," Landry said in a statement. "He has the leadership, experience and knowledge that is necessary to ensure this department is running in an efficient and effective manner.”

Westcott worked for the agency's probation and parole division for 29 years, retiring in 2020 as regional administrator.

He worked as the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office corrections warden from 2020-2024 before being appointed by Landry as deputy secretary of the state agency.

“Gov. Landry has made it abundantly clear that fixing our prison system and enhancing public safety is of utmost importance," Westcott said in a statement. "I am honored by his confidence in me to get the job done, and I am looking forward to getting to work."

Westcott is a University of Louisiana at Lafayette graduate and Louisiana National Guard veteran.

More: Louisiana Corrections Secretary Jimmy LeBlanc resigns

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: New Louisiana prisons chief oversees nation's most incarcerated population