A series on the life and career of controversial New Orleans Judge Frank Shea during the rise of mass incarceration.
Author Archives: Nick Chrastil
Nicholas Chrastil covers criminal justice for The Lens. As a freelancer, his work has appeared in Slate, Undark, Mother Jones, and the Atavist, among other outlets. Chrastil has a master's degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University, where his research focused on New Orleans' newspapers during the Reconstruction era. During his time at LSU, he also covered the Louisiana state legislature as part of the Manship Statehouse Bureau. He is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Civil rights lawyers in federal bail suit ask judge to hold New Orleans Magistrate Harry Cantrell in contempt of court
Lawyers say that in spite of a legal agreement, Cantrell still fails to consider defendants’ ability to pay. In a second motion, they are asking for him to stop setting cash bail altogether.
Posted inCriminal Justice
In final vote, council approves use of Temporary Detention Center for inmates with acute mental health needs
The ordinance also creates an inmate cap of 1,250, replacing the 1,438 bed cap.
Posted inCriminal Justice
City Council approves ‘compromise’ on use of jail facility
The amendment would allow the continued use of the facility’s Temporary Detention Center for housing certain inmates. It will require one more vote from the council.
Posted inCriminal Justice
‘Your honor, can I tell the whole story?’ Part 3
A murder in New Orleans, a trial that lasted less than a day, and the lives they entangled for the next three decades.
Posted inCriminal Justice
‘Your honor, can I tell the whole story?’ Part 2
A murder in New Orleans, a trial that lasted less than a day, and the lives they entangled for the next three decades.
Posted inCriminal Justice
‘Your honor, can I tell the whole story?’ Part 1
A murder in New Orleans, a trial that lasted less than a day, and the lives they entangled for the next three decades.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Mental Illness Behind Bars: The hard lessons of Orleans Parish
The city and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office are implementing short- and long-term plans for housing mentally ill inmates, but critics say jail is no place to treat mental illness.
Posted inCriminal Justice
City Planning Commission votes against increasing jail capacity
The request to increase the bed cap from 1,438 to 1,731 will now go to the New Orleans City Council.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Council committee urges courts to forgive court debt, outstanding warrants
The New Orleans City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee unanimously called for the forgiveness of all outstanding debt individuals have accrued from fines and fees in Municipal and Traffic Court. The committee also encouraged the City Attorney’s Office, which prosecutes traffic and municipal code offenses, to dismiss “low-level, non-violent, and so called Quality of Life offenses, […]