This week on Behind The Lens, after the levees broke and inundated New Orleans, millions of people saw the images of prisoners from the Orleans Parish Prison on the Broad Street Overpass awaiting rescue after the flooding. Some prisoners who were in the jail during the flooding told harrowing stories of their cells filling with water, having been abandoned by the guards in some situations, and only getting out after a few deputies returned days later along with other volunteer rescuers.

In the wake of the flooding, thousands of prisoners then faced a hellish landscape of confusion, as lawyers battled with the Department of Corrections to sort out each individual’s case. The disaster underscored the need for reforms, which began to take shape in the years after the storm, however, echoes of the pre-Katrina problems have begun to crop up again.

Our guests this week are Lens criminal justice reporter Bernard Smith and editor Katy Reckdahl.

Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music Afternoons and Beachhead by Podington Bear soundofpicture.com. 

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