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Category
Criminal Justice

Asking why and how, and what needs to be done.

Legal agreement in federal bail suit will require New Orleans judge to consider alternatives to detention, whether defendants can pay

The agreement comes after a two-year civil rights lawsuit against Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell over how he was setting bail.
by Nick Chrastil June 14, 2019 Updated November 7, 2019

It’s time to abolish money bail and conviction fees in New Orleans courts

How New Orleans' system of financing courts feeds on the poor.
by The Rev. William Barnwell June 12, 2019 Updated November 7, 2019

Vera Institute of Justice proposes plan for ending cash bail, conviction fees in New Orleans

Only highest-risk defendants would be jailed under the plan. Judges would impose $1 bail for crimes that require cash bail under state law. The group says the proposal would save the city millions in funding for the jail.
by Nick Chrastil June 12, 2019 Updated November 7, 2019

Juvenile defendants transferred to adult jail as advocates balk at Cantrell’s new approach

Over the past month, The Mayor, District Attorney, and Juvenile Court Judges have all introduced and advocated for policies that child advocates fear will increase detention for New Orleans juveniles.
by Michael Isaac Stein June 6, 2019 Updated November 7, 2019

A year later, progress continues on Cantrell program to ID ‘high-risk’ residents, but few details available

Civil rights activists say they’re concerned over lack of transparency and a potential return to ‘predictive policing’ methods.
by Michael Isaac Stein June 3, 2019 Updated November 7, 2019

Report sheds light on how often threat of habitual offender sentence may factor into guilty pleas

Multiple bills are way down in New Orleans. But they still offer prosecutors leverage as a threat. Court Watch volunteers saw prosecutors reference the habitual offender law in 16 percent of plea-deal cases in 2017, 13 percent in 2018.
by Michael Isaac Stein May 15, 2019 Updated November 7, 2019

Report: New Orleans criminal court drug testing methods unconfirmed, may lead to false positives

At least 59 people were jailed for contempt in 2018 based on questionable drug tests, watchdog group says.
by Nick Chrastil May 15, 2019 Updated November 7, 2019

Court orders city to hand over records on surveillance network

Judge rejects argument that cameras are used for terrorism prevention.
by Charles Maldonado May 6, 2019 Updated November 7, 2019

Join us May 7 to learn how to find public records related to criminal justice

by Anne Mueller April 29, 2019 Updated November 7, 2019

Misconduct by prosecutors is rampant — how do we deter it?

Orleans DA's office among worst offenders
by Mike Fawer April 11, 2019 Updated November 7, 2019

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