The U.S. Supreme Court ruled two years ago that Henry Montgomery, serving a life sentence for killing a sheriff’s deputy, should get a parole hearing. Monday, a board denied his release. Advocates for juvenile convicts say parole boards around the country aren’t giving enough weight to the Supreme Court’s directive that children who commit heinous crimes are capable of change.
Author Archives: Katy Reckdahl
Katy Reckdahl is The Lens’ managing editor. Reckdahl was a staff reporter for The Times-Picayune and the alt-weekly Gambit before spending a decade as a freelancer, writing frequently for the New Orleans Advocate | Times-Picayune, The New York Times and the Washington Post.
She’s received more than two-dozen first-place New Orleans Press Club awards, the James Aronson Award for social justice reporting, a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism and three TV-documentary Emmy Awards. In 2020, she was a producer for The Atlantic’s Peabody Award-winning podcast, Floodlines.
Posted inEnvironment, Investigations
A vital port for the nation’s oil and gas industry is on its way to becoming an island.
Nearly 20 percent of the nation’s oil and gas passes through Port Fourchon, accessible only by a battered, two-lane road. With the Gulf of Mexico rising and wetlands crumbling, it’s on the way to becoming an island.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Just-passed bill gives juvenile lifers a chance at parole if they’ve served 25 years
But prosecutors can oppose parole eligibility if they believe the defendant is irredeemable.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Investigations
Louis Gibson and 300 other juvenile lifers could get parole hearings if lawmakers agree on a bill
Louis Gibson was convicted of murder for shooting a childhood friend, Latrone Davis. He’s served 24 years in prison. Legislators are working on legislation to grant parole hearings to people who were juveniles when they were sentenced to life in prison. The law could affect about 300 inmates.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Louisiana man, imprisoned for 50 years for killing a deputy, is at center of Supreme Court hearing on youth sentencing
In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that youth can’t be sentenced automatically to life in prison. But what should happen to the couple thousand inmates already serving such sentences? Tuesday, lawyers for Henry Montgomery argue that they should get parole hearings. An in-depth look at the crime and the man at the center of the case.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
City’s summer recreation programs dealing with $700,000 cut in federal funding
Pools will be open only in June and July. A plan to cut back on security guards didn’t work out.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
HANO will remain under HUD control past July as city grapples with other oversight issues
Once fierce opponents of the federal takeover, tenant groups have been among the most vocal advocates of extending HUD control of public housing. They’ve come to like and respect David Gilmore, the federally appointed head of the agency.
Posted inLand Use
11 recommended dog-park and dog-run sites
The city’s list of official dog runs City Bark, in City Park The Fly, in Audubon Park1542 Constance St. (near Kingsley House)Wisner Park, 4877 Laurel St.1151 Esplanade Ave. (former St. Aloysius school)Reinventing the Crescent Park (along the river near Bywater)Algiers Point battureLakefront, Lake Oaks ParkRome Playspot, 1900 Robert E. Lee Blvd. in GentillyEast Citrus Playspot, […]
Posted inLand Use
People vs. pets? Plans for 11 city dog parks draw growls from some owners
Plan to distribute dog parks across council districts means some traditional runs—like Cabrini and Markey parks—will be off-limits. Full implementation of the new parks has been delayed by tight funding.
Posted inInvestigations, Land Use
Discovery of human remains delays Iberville redevelopment
Charmaine Williams, second from left, goes for a walk with her grandchildren Keah Williams, 15 months, left, and Richard ‘Ricky’ Farrell III, 3; and daughter, SaYann Williams, 16, right, in the Iberville public housing development. They can see St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, in the background, from their front stoop. Archaeologists have confirmed that part […]