Calvin Duncan, one of the finest inmate counsels to ever file a writ from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, releases his autobiography today, July 8. The Lens is honored to publish an excerpt from this highly anticipated book, The Jailhouse Lawyer.
Category: Criminal Justice
Posted inOpinion
‘I saw this coming.’
“The escapees didn’t run because the sheriff opened the door for holistic healing,” writes Henderson-Uloho, who taught decarceration classes in the jail. “They escaped because the people hired to provide custody, care, and control neglected their care and weaponized the control.”
Posted inCriminal Justice
‘Ride for Peace’ Brings New Orleanians together to interrupt violence and build community
Under the towering concrete pillars of the Claiborne Overpass, a different kind of parade rolled through the city—a protest on two wheels. On Saturday evening, dozens of New Orleans residents came together for the inaugural Ride for Peace, a community-driven bike rally organized by Ubuntu Village and the NOLA Peace Ambassadors Program. Part protest, part […]
Posted inOpinion
NOPD is using images of you from more than 5,000 cameras across the city
“After years of FOIA requests and research, I know that NOPD is lying about their unlawful use of Project NOLA and facial-recognition software,” says the writer. The surveillance-camera issue is slated to be discussed at 10 a.m. today (Monday) at the City Council’s criminal-justice committee meeting.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Judge extends safeguards for Angola’s Farm Line for 90 more days
Order requires that officials monitor temperatures every 30 minutes. If heat index hits 88, Farm Line workers get regular breaks, ice, water, and shade.
Posted inCriminal Justice
The towering legacy of the House of Detention
“This building’s architecture tells one story. But its human history tells another— and we need to confront both,” said Loyola Law School professor Andrea Armstrong
Posted inOpinion
Dan Bright was my brother. Death Row didn’t kill us, but it tried.
We can’t keep losing our brothers to the aftermath of injustice. We can’t call it “freedom” if we’re still dying from what they did to us.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Only those who have experienced jail can understand the bigger picture
In New Orleans, where incarceration touches nearly every block, jail population counts are much more than numbers – they represent families fractured, futures derailed, and communities under pressure.
Posted inOpinion
The New Orleans jailbreak: crisis, blame, and a system built to break
Some of the loudest voices talking about problems that led to the jailbreak are the same ones who’ve supported underfunding and cuts to social services, education, and mental-health programs—drivers of crime and incarceration in the first place.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Judge’s order requires Farm Line ‘be treated with human decency’
For the second consecutive year, a federal judge tells the DOC to provide Farm Line workers with protections from the sweltering Louisiana heat.