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Author: Nick Chrastil

About 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.

Sheriff Hutson says raises coming for deputies as council questions ‘frivolous’ spending at budget hearing

November 11, 2022 Updated December 1, 2022
Hutson is asking for $13 million more than what Mayor Cantrell proposed for her office.

After an autistic teen’s in-custody death, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office used criminal search warrants to dig into his past

November 10, 2022 Updated November 10, 2022
Lawyers for the boy's parents say the warrants were unconstitutional and violated state law.

Mental health care at David Wade Correctional Center ruled unconstitutional

November 1, 2022 Updated November 2, 2022
Judge Elizabeth Foote called the conditions at David Wade "inhumane."

Report: State has saved $150 million from 2017 criminal justice reform legislation package

October 26, 2022 Updated October 28, 2022
Over 10,000 fewer people were in prison for nonviolent crimes in 2021 than in 2016.

Louisiana Supreme Court declines to grant new trials for people still in prison on non-unanimous jury convictions

October 21, 2022 Updated October 21, 2022
The decision will impact around 1,500 cases.

Marijuana pardons passed last year should soon be reflected on criminal records, officials say

October 17, 2022 Updated October 17, 2022
The pardons could affect roughly 10,000 cases in New Orleans.

Marijuana possession enforcement has ‘virtually vanished’ in New Orleans this year following council ordinance, NOPD policy change

October 13, 2022 Updated October 14, 2022
Analysis shows there have been seven summonses issued in New Orleans in 2022, down from hundreds or thousands in previous years.

Federal judge says he still has received no information from Sheriff’s Office regarding jail deaths this summer

October 12, 2022 Updated October 12, 2022
Sheriff Susan Hutson has faced ongoing criticism over lack of transparency since she took office in May.

Study: Last year, 911 calls responded to by NOPD were rarely for violent crime

October 11, 2022 Updated October 12, 2022
Group says the statistics show a need for alternative, non-police responses.

After troubled pilot program, city moving forward with plan to respond to mental health emergencies without police

October 7, 2022 Updated October 7, 2022
Mayor Cantrell has signed a $1.3 million contract with a non-profit to provide behavioral health crisis response services.

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