Category
Criminal Justice
Prisoners over 70 in state-run facilities receive first round of COVID-19 vaccine
Some prison employees have received shots as well. No answers available yet on local pretrial detainees.
Judge says city can’t get out of building new jail facility
The city of New Orleans was asking to be let out of an order to build the so-called Phase III facility, intended for inmate medical and mental health care.
‘The system is at a breaking point’: New DA, public defenders work to reduce backlog of cases at Criminal District Court
Jason Williams is re-screening cases accepted by Cannizzaro’s administration, and public defenders say many low-level cases should be dismissed or diverted.
New DA says ‘large swath’ of prosecutors from Cannizzaro administration will stay on
But Williams told The Lens he plans to shake up the leadership in the office.
Final arguments made over whether city needs to move forward with Phase III of New Orleans jail
After Magistrate recommendation, city has said it is continuing work on the facility.
Jason Williams sworn in as Orleans Parish DA, promising ‘justice that endures’
Williams says he will not use resources on low-level charges and will end the "win at all costs" culture in the DA's office.
Incarcerated people over 70 to start receiving vaccinations next week, governor says
The decision will mean that 489 people in prisons and jails will soon get vaccinated. Status of local pretrial inmates was not immediately clear.
New Orleans City Council bans facial recognition, predictive policing and other surveillance tech
The ordinance that was ultimately passed wasn't as ambitious as the original, but advocates say it's a good start.
As DA, Jason Williams plans to keep a list of police officers with credibility issues he won’t take cases from
Details are limited, but Williams says he expects it to be a “collaborative process” with the police department.
