Report: Corrections officials in Louisiana failed to protect inmates, staff from COVID-19
Promise of Justice Initiative criticizes state and federal response at jails and prisons statewide.
Category
Criminal Justice
Asking why and how, and what needs to be done.
City releases dozens of pages of emails on police use of facial recognition
The emails show that the NOPD and Louisiana State Police have had a formal relationship since at least 2018 that provides the NOPD access facial recognition software.
‘Every single person in that office has to understand the culture shift’: How Jason Williams plans to remake prosecution in New Orleans
The DA-elect lays out his plan for hiring staff and a new Civil Rights Division to be headed by former director of the Innocence Project New Orleans
City’s request to stop construction of Phase III jail facility should be denied, federal judge recommends
In scathing report, judge says he has “lost trust” in the city.
Jason Williams will be next Orleans Parish DA
Williams defeated Keva Landrum in Saturday's election. He has pledged to end the policies of mass incarceration in the city.
Orleans DA candidates say they will review all old non-unanimous verdicts regardless of upcoming Supreme Court ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could overturn at least 1,500 split jury verdicts in Louisiana. But in Orleans Parish, hundreds convicted by a 10-2 jury may not have to rely on a court ruling, under pledges from Williams, Landrum.
Public defenders to stop in-person appearances at Municipal Court due to reported COVID-19 outbreak
At least one court staff member and one attorney with the public defenders office have tested positive.
With increased city funding, public defenders avoid ‘worst possible outcome,’ but not out of the woods yet, chief defender says
A last-minute budget amendment will help the office hire outside attorneys to handle some cases. But lower ticket and fee revenues — and a growing backlog from COVID-19 court closures — are still causing problems.
Public defenders to receive more city funding than ever before — but not quite the ‘parity’ with DA as promised by City Council
The budget passed Thursday increased the public defenders allocation from the city by $1.8 million more than the mayor originally proposed
Report: 80 percent of people still in prison on non-unanimous jury verdicts are Black
US Supreme Court found non-unanimous verdicts unconstitutional this year, but 1,500 prisoners await ruling on retroactivity.
