A monitor overseeing the New Orleans jail recently criticized the Sheriff’s Office over continued problems with drugs and contraband.
Tuesday’s hearing did not address the merits of the case. Attorneys instead argued over whether the court has jurisdiction.
Brandon Jackson was convicted of armed robbery by a 10-2 jury in 1997. Split verdicts are no longer legal. But his conviction, and those for hundreds more, is still considered valid.
A Tuesday commission vote on the proposal came out 4 to 4.
Sneed was stripped of his parole prior to release despite the prison disciplinary board clearing him of a contraband charge.
The commission will vote on the zoning change next week, which will ultimately need to be approved by the City Council.
After agreeing to allow the production crew into the jail, Sheriff’s Office officials became concerned about how it would be portrayed.
Brandon Jackson is one of more than 1,500 people still incarcerated in Louisiana on non-unanimous verdicts, though the United States Supreme Court ruled split verdicts unconstitutional last year. Will he get a chance at freedom?
The suit was filed in 2017 on behalf of death row prisoners, claiming that Angola’s highly restrictive conditions violated their constitutional rights.
Attorneys who represent detainees in consent decree say they were misled by Gusman’s office