DA Uses Habitual Offender Law Twice Monthly

Louisiana prosecutor Ricky Babin says the habitual offender statute, once used about twice a year, now comes up roughly twice a month in his district.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Criminal Justice

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a plain civic building facade against a flat horizon with cypress trees, in navy, cream, and muted red. — Louisiana District Attorney Ricky Babin now invokes the state's habitual offender law about twice a month, up from twice a year two decades ago. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should repeat offenders receive significantly longer sentences under habitual offender laws?

District Attorney Ricky Babin uses Louisiana's habitual offender law about twice a month, up from about twice a year when he was first elected two decades ago. Prosecutors in his office sought the status against Brannon Ellis, who was sentenced to 50 years after a January 2023 shooting that hit a nearby store and parked vehicles.

Why it matters

Babin says the law keeps people who pose a menace to society from cycling through the justice system, and he points to criminal justice reforms that make convicted people eligible for earlier parole as another reason its use has grown.

Ellis received 50 years for attempted second-degree murder, flight from an officer and unlawful handling of machine guns, while Kendall Johnson, convicted this year of a 2014 sexual assault, received 40 years and faces a habitual offender request. Three suspects were arrested in the January 2023 shooting, and no one was injured.

The players

Ricky Babin

Ricky Babin is the district attorney for Louisiana's 23rd Judicial District, serving in Gonzales, and has held the office for about two decades.

The details

The habitual offender law applies when a defendant accumulates multiple convictions within a five-year window, and a second conviction makes suspects eligible, with a third typically prompting prosecutors to seek the status. In the 23rd Judicial District, Edward Young III received 32 years as a habitual offender after firing at deputies in 2020.

2020: Edward Young III fired at deputies and later received 32 years as a habitual offender.
January 2023: Shots were fired, a middle school was locked down, and three suspects including Brannon Ellis were arrested.
2014: The sexual assault for which Kendall Johnson was later convicted occurred.
This year (2026): Johnson was convicted and sentenced to 40 years.
Two decades ago: Babin was first elected and used the law about twice a year.

Legal Context

Louisiana's habitual offender statute, which escalates penalties for repeat felons, is being applied far more often in one prosecutor's office than it was two decades ago. The growth is occurring alongside criminal justice reforms that expand parole eligibility, a tension Babin cites directly.

Residents in the 23rd Judicial District may see more repeat offenders facing enhanced sentences of decades in prison. Defendants with two or more qualifying felony convictions within five years face the possibility of this status being sought against them.

The takeaway

Repeat-offender statutes can shift case outcomes dramatically, so changes in how often prosecutors invoke them affect defendants, victims and the public alike. Following how a district attorney's charging decisions evolve offers a clear view of local justice trends.