Louisiana Jail Data

An automated scraper that collects inmate roster data from Louisiana parish jails and police departments using GitHub Actions.

Updates

• April 24th, 2026: Updated to fix the encryption, to instead make it a cypher. This allows us to compare encrypted names / encrypted dates of birth across time. We also condensed the past 30+ days of downloads with the previous rosters. This gives us 7,000,000+ records.

What it does

Every day at 6:00 PM CST, the GitHub Actions workflow scrapes inmate roster tables from 72 Louisiana parish jails and police departments listed in links.csv. This includes 61 out of 64 parishes and 11 municipal jails. Scraped data is saved as a timestamped CSV in the downloads/ folder and committed to the repo. Sensitive fields (Name and DOB) are encrypted using RSA public-key encryption before being committed. If you need this information, please contact me at eappelson@laaclu.org.

Note

This data includes both those held pretrial and post-conviction. Additionally, historical rosters were scraped from here, and the resulting dataframe is saved in downloads as rosters.rds. Sensitive data is hashed.

Files

• script.py: Scrapes all jails and encrypts sensitive columns before saving
• encrypt.py: Encryption utility
• decrypt.py: Decrypts CSVs locally using the private key
• jail_scraper.r: Scrapes data from the past year saved here.
• links.csv: List of 80 jail roster URLs with associated jail names
• .github/workflows/main.yml: GitHub Actions workflow that runs the scraper

Warning

This code should NEVER be replicated or repurposed to scrape and track individuals held in jail. This project exists solely for research and accountability purposes. Do not misuse this code or data to monitor, target, or surveil incarcerated individuals.

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Parish Breakdown

Last updated: 2026-07-30 02:01 UTC

Total inmates (latest scrape): 26,923 across 72 parishes/jails

Acadia Parish

Total: 158

Race	Count	%
White	90	57.0%
Black	66	41.8%
Unknown	1	0.6%
American Indian/Alaska Native	1	0.6%

Allen Parish

Total: 118

Race	Count	%
White	74	62.7%
Black	40	33.9%
Unknown	2	1.7%
American Indian/Alaska Native	2	1.7%

Ascension Parish

Total: 511

Race	Count	%
Black	273	53.4%
White	201	39.3%
Unknown	33	6.5%
Asian/PacificIslander	4	0.8%

Assumption Parish

Total: 152

Race	Count	%
Unknown	85	55.9%
White	67	44.1%

Avoyelles Parish

Total: 352

Race	Count	%
Black	199	56.5%
White	150	42.6%
Unknown	3	0.9%

Beauregard Parish

Total: 176

Race	Count	%
White	120	68.2%
Black	56	31.8%

Bienville Parish

Total: 43

Race	Count	%
White	22	51.2%
Unknown	21	48.8%

Bogalusa Police Department

Total: 14

Race	Count	%
White	8	57.1%
Black	6	42.9%

Bossier City Police Department

Total: 61

Race	Count	%
Black	45	73.8%
White	16	26.2%

Bossier Parish

Total: 1,119

Race	Count	%
Black	629	56.2%
White	488	43.6%
American Indian/Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Asian/PacificIslander	1	0.1%

Caddo Parish

Total: 1,710

Race	Count	%
Black	1,294	75.7%
White	390	22.8%
Unknown	26	1.5%

Calcasieu Parish

Total: 1,106

Race	Count	%
Black	612	55.3%
White	452	40.9%
Unknown	41	3.7%
Asian/PacificIslander	1	0.1%

Caldwell Parish

Total: 607

Race	Count	%
Black	390	64.3%
White	201	33.1%
American Indian/Alaska Native	15	2.5%
Unknown	1	0.2%

Cameron Parish

Total: 20

Race	Count	%
White	20	100.0%

Catahoula Parish

Total: 128

Race	Count	%
Black	91	71.1%
White	36	28.1%
Unknown	1	0.8%

Claiborne Parish

Total: 657

Race	Count	%
Black	407	61.9%
White	250	38.1%

Concordia Parish

Total: 812

Race	Count	%
White	460	56.7%
Black	352	43.3%

DeSoto Parish

Total: 122

Race	Count	%
Black	74	60.7%
White	47	38.5%
Asian/PacificIslander	1	0.8%

East Baton Rouge Parish

Total: 1,324

Race	Count	%
Black	1,023	77.3%
White	235	17.7%
Unknown	63	4.8%
Asian/PacificIslander	2	0.2%
American Indian/Alaska Native	1	0.1%

East Feliciana Parish

Total: 281

Race	Count	%
Black	185	65.8%
White	94	33.5%
Asian/PacificIslander	2	0.7%

Evangeline Parish

Total: 159

Race	Count	%
Black	95	59.7%
White	63	39.6%
Unknown	1	0.6%

Franklin Parish

Total: 844

Race	Count	%
Black	561	66.5%
White	279	33.1%
Unknown	4	0.5%

Hammond Police Department

Total: 20

Race	Count	%
Black	13	65.0%
White	6	30.0%
Unknown	1	5.0%

Iberia Parish

Total: 475

Race	Count	%
Black	286	60.2%
White	177	37.3%
Unknown	6	1.3%
Asian/PacificIslander	5	1.1%
American Indian/Alaska Native	1	0.2%

Iberville Parish

Total: 46

Race	Count	%
Black	28	60.9%
White	18	39.1%

Jackson Parish

Total: 1

Race	Count	%
Unknown	1	100.0%

Jefferson Davis Parish

Total: 164

Race	Count	%
White	84	51.2%
Black	77	47.0%
American Indian/Alaska Native	2	1.2%
Unknown	1	0.6%

Jefferson Parish

Total: 1,192

Race	Count	%
Black	766	64.3%
White	420	35.2%
Unknown	6	0.5%

Kinder Police Department

Total: 1

Race	Count	%
White	1	100.0%

LaSalle Parish

Total: 73

Race	Count	%
White	49	67.1%
Black	23	31.5%
Unknown	1	1.4%

Lafayette Parish

Total: 841

Race	Count	%
Black	557	66.2%
White	273	32.5%
Unknown	11	1.3%

Lafourche Parish

Total: 760

Race	Count	%
Black	389	51.2%
White	367	48.3%
American Indian/Alaska Native	3	0.4%
Asian/PacificIslander	1	0.1%

Leesville Police Department

Total: 3

Race	Count	%
White	2	66.7%
Black	1	33.3%

Lincoln Parish

Total: 365

Race	Count	%
Black	272	74.5%
White	90	24.7%
Unknown	3	0.8%

Livingston Parish

Total: 841

Race	Count	%
White	600	71.3%
Black	230	27.3%
Unknown	8	1.0%
Asian/PacificIslander	2	0.2%
American Indian/Alaska Native	1	0.1%

Madison Parish

Total: 153

Race	Count	%
Black	122	79.7%
White	30	19.6%
Unknown	1	0.7%

Morehouse Parish

Total: 206

Race	Count	%
Black	152	73.8%
White	54	26.2%

Natchitoches Parish

Total: 184

Race	Count	%
Black	139	75.5%
White	41	22.3%
Unknown	4	2.2%

Oakdale Police Department

Total: 3

Race	Count	%
White	3	100.0%

Opelousas Police Department

Total: 1

Race	Count	%
African American	1	100.0%

Orleans Parish

Total: 1,380

Race	Count	%
Black	1,182	85.7%
White	174	12.6%
Unknown	21	1.5%
Asian/PacificIslander	3	0.2%

Ouachita Parish

Total: 1,333

Race	Count	%
Black	894	67.1%
White	424	31.8%
Unknown	15	1.1%

Plaquemines Parish

Total: 657

Race	Count	%
Black	427	65.0%
White	207	31.5%
Unknown	12	1.8%
Asian/PacificIslander	9	1.4%
American Indian/Alaska Native	2	0.3%

Pointe Coupee Parish

Total: 118

Race	Count	%
Black	72	61.0%
White	43	36.4%
Unknown	2	1.7%
American Indian/Alaska Native	1	0.8%

Rapides Parish

Total: 1,047

Race	Count	%
Black	662	63.2%
White	368	35.1%
Unknown	15	1.4%
Asian/PacificIslander	2	0.2%

Red River Parish

Total: 41

Race	Count	%
Black	21	51.2%
White	19	46.3%
Asian/PacificIslander	1	2.4%

Richland Parish

Total: 706

Race	Count	%
Black	490	69.4%
White	208	29.5%
Unknown	5	0.7%
Asian/PacificIslander	3	0.4%

Sabine Parish

Total: 184

Race	Count	%
White	105	57.1%
Black	76	41.3%
Unknown	2	1.1%
American Indian/Alaska Native	1	0.5%

Shreveport Police Department

Total: 43

Race	Count	%
Black	33	76.7%
White	9	20.9%
Unknown	1	2.3%

St. Bernard Parish

Total: 231

Race	Count	%
Black	135	58.4%
White	91	39.4%
Asian/PacificIslander	3	1.3%
Unknown	2	0.9%

St. Charles Parish

Total: 176

Race	Count	%
Unknown	100	56.8%
White	76	43.2%

St. Helena Parish

Total: 47

Race	Count	%
Black	33	70.2%
White	13	27.7%
Unknown	1	2.1%

St. James Parish

Total: 78

Race	Count	%
Black	64	82.1%
White	14	17.9%

St. John the Baptist Parish

Total: 222

Race	Count	%
Unknown	146	65.8%
White	76	34.2%

St. Landry Parish

Total: 131

Race	Count	%
Black	86	65.6%
White	43	32.8%
Unknown	2	1.5%

St. Martin Parish

Total: 210

Race	Count	%
Black	104	49.5%
White	98	46.7%
Unknown	8	3.8%

St. Mary Parish

Total: 284

Race	Count	%
Black	151	53.2%
White	132	46.5%
Asian/PacificIslander	1	0.4%

St. Tammany Parish

Total: 890

Race	Count	%
White	456	51.2%
Black	391	43.9%
Unknown	41	4.6%
American Indian/Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Asian/PacificIslander	1	0.1%

Sulphur Police Department

Total: 14

Race	Count	%
White	10	71.4%
Black	4	28.6%

Tangipahoa Parish

Total: 702

Race	Count	%
Black	461	65.7%
White	238	33.9%
Unknown	3	0.4%

Tensas Parish

Total: 568

Race	Count	%
Black	384	67.6%
White	172	30.3%
Unknown	12	2.1%

Terrebonne Parish

Total: 578

Race	Count	%
Black	319	55.2%
White	247	42.7%
American Indian/Alaska Native	12	2.1%

Vermillion Parish

Total: 120

Race	Count	%
Black	59	49.2%
White	58	48.3%
Unknown	2	1.7%
Asian/PacificIslander	1	0.8%

Vernon Parish

Total: 177

Race	Count	%
White	123	69.5%
Black	52	29.4%
Asian/PacificIslander	1	0.6%
Unknown	1	0.6%

Ville Platte Police Department

Total: 31

Race	Count	%
Black	18	58.1%
White	12	38.7%
Unknown	1	3.2%

Washington Parish

Total: 186

Race	Count	%
Black	96	51.6%
White	89	47.8%
Unknown	1	0.5%

Webster Parish

Total: 451

Race	Count	%
Black	237	52.5%
White	207	45.9%
Unknown	5	1.1%
Asian/PacificIslander	2	0.4%

West Baton Rouge Parish

Total: 133

Race	Count	%
Black	87	65.4%
White	41	30.8%
Unknown	3	2.3%
Asian/PacificIslander	2	1.5%

West Carroll Parish

Total: 28

Race	Count	%
White	22	78.6%
Black	6	21.4%

West Felician Parish

Total: 201

Race	Count	%
Black	129	64.2%
White	72	35.8%

Winn Parish

Total: 151

Race	Count	%
Black	76	50.3%
White	75	49.7%

Winnfield Police Department

Total: 2

Race	Count	%
Black	2	100.0%