Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman told a jury today that he was not to blame for failing to release uncharged inmates from his jails during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Instead, the sheriff argued that it was up to Municipal Court judges to order the release of his inmates, and nobody ever told him to […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Citizen-participation plan gets chilly reception from council
Despite years of work involving dozens of meetings with thousands of residents, a plan to create a formal system for citizen interaction with city government has run into a buzz saw of opposition, with the most objection recent coming from a city council member. The Committee for a Better New Orleans has been devising and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Never-charged inmates describe “putrid” Katrina jail
Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman appeared in U.S. District Court today to defend his office against a civil-rights lawsuit by two Ohio men who spent weeks in custody following Hurricane Katrina, despite never being charged with a crime. The men were passing through New Orleans for a night on a road trip, but they ended […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Landrieu administration hasn’t provided budget documents
Although Mayor Mitch Landrieu pledged to make the city budget process more open and accountable, his administration has failed to comply with open-records laws and make public the budget requests submitted to him by department heads. The Lens asked for the department-level requests on Sept. 30, hoping to get a look at what each city […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Once again, sheriff tells city to pay up or lose security
10.11.10 Story updated at end with mayor’s comment. Original post: Sheriff Marlin Gusman has threatened to cut court hours and pull security services from the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court unless the city pays him an extra $500,000 by Oct. 25. Gusman took his stand in letter Wednesday to Mayor Mitch Landrieu. Without it, he […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations, Schools
It's none of your business: Most charters don't comply with open-meetings law
The state charter school law frees independently run public-school campuses from many laws. However, that doesn’t include the state’s open-meetings law.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Birthers still waiting for Superman’s birth certificate
A strong wave of initial buzz is preceding “Waiting for ‘Superman’”, a new documentary about schools in America and the difficulties low-income parents have in finding a quality education for their children. A lucky few will win the “good school” lottery, while the rest get left behind with dwindling future prospects. I’ll review “Waiting for […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Committee to reconsider downgrading some crimes
The City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee today delayed a vote on downgrading certain misdemeanors to municipal court offenses because of concerns expressed by District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro. The group also discussed several other initiatives aimed at reducing the amount of jail and court time used for minor offenses. The committee agenda showed that it was […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Council to consider alternatives to jailing municipal defendants
The New Orleans City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee has provided public notice of its next meeting, apparently having re-read the state’s open-meetings law. The public was not invited to the last meeting of the group, where key jail issues were discussed. But this week, the meeting and an agenda are posted clearly on the city’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
New Orleans courts unfair to poor defendants, reports say
New Orleans often spends more money to imprison people for unpaid fines than is ultimately recouped from the fines themselves, according to two reports released by criminal justice reform advocates today. The reports, published by the American Civil Liberties Union in New York and the Brennan Center for Justice, a project of the New York […]