Class-action lawsuit over conditions and mental health care at David Wade correctional set for trial next week
Prisoners claim they are not treated for mental illness, kept in solitary confinement for months.
Category
Criminal Justice
Asking why and how, and what needs to be done.
‘Everybody needs oversight’: Sheriff-elect Susan Hutson talks about her plans for remaking a troubled agency
Hutson will have a lengthy transition period, not taking office until May. It’s not yet clear whether, or to what degree, she will be included in decision-making during the transition.
Despite City Council pardon in August, marijuana convictions remain on criminal records
Municipal Court judge says that the process for such a large blanket pardon was not made clear before the council approved it.
After momentary ‘release,’ Angola prisoner Bobby Sneed rearrested and put in local jail
Sneed is suing the state parole board for illegal imprisonment, following an unusual decision to strip his parole last spring.
Louisiana policy intended to reform solitary confinement still leaves people in indefinite lockdown
Officials say the total number of people in restrictive housing has gone down, but the state doesn’t keep enough data to substantiate that claim.
New sheriff in town
In a major upset, Hutson defeats 17-year incumbent Sheriff Marlin Gusman.
After Louisiana Supreme Court decision, judge again orders Bobby Sneed released from prison
State must release Sneed from Angola without delay, a Baton Rouge judge ruled on Thursday.
Years-long dispute over jail size a key issue in race for sheriff
Incumbent Sheriff Marlin Gusman has taken credit for reducing the jail’s footprint and population. But his record shows him frequently working to increase the size of the jail.
Expanded ‘Royal Street Patrol’ will soon launch to deter ‘aggressive panhandling, inebriants, and illegal sales’
Advocacy group worries that the patrols will be used to harass street performers.
City Planning Commission approves retrofit of jail as alternative to new Phase III facility
Council members have indicated that they will not vote to approve a zoning ordinance required to build Phase III, though a federal judge has ordered the city to move ahead with the building.
