Behind The Lens episode 180: ‘Time to go back to the drawing board’

A DOJ official warns the state against transferring juveniles to Angola. A judge cancels state permits for Formosa. An alleged staff assault on a New Orleans public schools student. And the latest in transparency from the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.

On this week’s episode, an administrator with the U.S. Department of Justice cautioned the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice about the proposal to house juveniles at a facility on the campus of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

Several detainees at the New Orleans jail allegedly suffered injuries after a shakedown at the facility involving officers brought in from the state Department of Corrections. This comes on the heels of another incident last month in which jail detainees sustained injuries during a joint DOC-Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office operation.

The company behind a proposed $9.4 billion petrochemical plant in St. James Parish was dealt a major blow Wednesday when a court vacated more than a dozen state permits for the facility.

And the NOLA Public Schools district has issued its most serious warning to Foundation Preparatory Academy after the school allegedly failed to report an alleged assault on a special education student by an employee of the school last month. 

Our guests this week are Lens reporters Nick Chrastil, Joshua Rosenberg, Marta Jewson and editor Charles Maldonado.

You can also listen to Behind The Lens on Apple PodcastsSpotify and other services.

Carolyne Heldman

Carolyne Heldman has been in media for 35 years, most recently as Executive Director at an NPR member station in Colorado where she was responsible for new multi-platform content initiatives, strategic planning, research, branding, and non-traditional revenue generation. During her tenure she also created and launched four weekly news, public affairs and cultural affairs programs and monthly live Town Hall broadcasts. Heldman moved to New Orleans last summer with her husband and canine companion and they live happily in The Marigny.