As negotiations stall over a consent decree to improve conditions at the Orleans Parish jail, construction continues on the nearly complete kitchen and warehouse facility (left). The Templeman V facility (foreground) is the scene of many episodes of brutality. Photo by Tom Gogola. U.S. District Judge Lance Africk has scheduled a Tuesday morning meeting between […]
Author Archives: Tom Gogola
Tom Gogola covered criminal justice for The Lens from February 2012 to May 2013. He is a veteran journalist and editor who has written on a range of subjects for many publications, including Newsday, New York, The Nation, and Maxim. Gogola was a 2011 winner of the Hillman Foundation Sidney Award, for his groundbreaking report in New York magazine detailing regulatory waste in the commercial fishing industry.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Morrell: Legislature set criminal clerk's staffing; city must fund it
Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal District Court Arthur Morrell didn’t waste any time Friday morning telling the New Orleans City Council that the proposed $3.7 million budget for his office next year would cause a “drastic layoff of people at my office.” The 90-person clerk’s office handles all court services, including maintaining and processing court […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Angry council member declares $7M for decree monitor a ‘ripoff’
With cops looking on, Deputy Mayor Andy Kopplin defends the city’s police budget at Wednesday’s council meeting. Photo by Tom Gogola City Council Member Cynthia Hedge-Morrell told the city administration and New Orleans Police Department Wednesday afternoon that $7 million included in 2013’s budget to implement federally-mandated changes at NOPD was a “ripoff” financing “foolish […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Gusman seeks 60% increase; Criminal Court faces major cut
Agreeing that he wants an alternative to the oft-derided price-per-prisoner amount he collects from the city, Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman submitted a fixed-cost budget to the City Council today. Gusman is asking for $37 million for 2013. That’s not going to happen, city officials said. The Sheriff’s Office is budgeted for $22.4 million, about […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Investigations
NOPD's decision to drop pepper spray in favor of Tasers raises questions about use of force
The New Orleans Police Department is expanding its use of Tasers and dropping pepper spray from its arsenal as part of a consent decree addressing complaints over police brutality, training and civil rights violations. The department says it’s dropping pepper spray because its cops hardly ever use it — just eight times so far in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
City Hall still using controversial per-diem approach to jail budget
The controversial “per diem” budget for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office is alive and well, despite assurances by top city officials that they would come up with a better approach to financing the city jail ahead of the 2013 budgeting season. Released Monday, the mayor’s budget proposal includes $22,434,338 for the sheriff, a cut of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Live blog Friday: Symposium on violent crime in New Orleans
The Lens live-blogged a criminal-justice symposium, “Preventing Lethal Violence in New Orleans,” at Loyola University on Friday. The event aimed to highlight “effective community-based solutions” to the city’s struggle with violent crime. New Orleans could use some effective, community-based solutions, considering that six people were shot on Tuesday alone, one fatally. New Orleans Police Superintendent […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Companies pledge to reform NOPD as consent decree monitor
Seven companies from around the country want the multimillion-dollar job of overseeing the New Orleans Police Department’s implementation of a federal consent decree. The seven bids range from about $7 million to $12 million. The City Attorney’s office opened the proposals up to the public this week. They’re being reviewed by a team split equally […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Bids to monitor NOPD reforms under consent decree vary widely
The city Wednesday morning made available for public viewing posted wide-ranging bids from seven companies vying to be selected as police monitor under terms of an impending federal consent decree with the New Orleans Police Department. Correction: The city made the bids available for public viewing, but they are not posted online. The monitor will be […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Investigations
City wary of opening its coffers, leaving jail reforms at an impasse
The city’s reluctance to provide Sheriff Marlin Gusman with a financial bailout continues to stymie movement toward reforming Orleans Parish Prison under terms of a federal consent decree — despite fresh reports of violence and unconstitutional conditions at Gusman’s sprawling jail complex. At the heart of the impasse: The Landrieu administration refuses to give Gusman […]