Two inmates at the New Orleans jail test positive for coronavirus
Eleven staffers, six healthcare contractor employees have tested positive as well.
Category
Criminal Justice
Asking why and how, and what needs to be done.
Criminal court judges deny petition for inmate releases
Judges say no one in jail is currently being held on minor, non-violent charges alone.
Orleans Public Defenders identify over 200 people in jail on non-violent charges, urge immediate release
The Sheriff’s Office has joined calls to lower the jail's population.
Amid coronavirus fears, public defenders petition judges to order release of high-risk inmates; sheriff joins in call for more releases
The petition also calls for the release of anyone arrested on low-level charges
Data show steep declines in New Orleans arrests over past several days
Some low-level, non-violent arrests continue.
As courts move to videoconferences, a fight for public access
Watchdog group says that public access is a “constitutional and traditional right, especially during these critical times.”
Orleans Juvenile Court closed due to potential coronavirus exposure
Juvenile public defender worries that juveniles will languish in detention without hearings.
Nicholas Chrastil joins Lens’ reporting staff
Nick covers criminal justice affairs and his reporting is featured in our Section G Project.
Sheriff’s Office says it has released 23 inmates in response to coronavirus crisis
Defenders office, advocacy groups have warned about the potential dangers of incarceration during the outbreak.
Louisiana Supreme Court affirms that map of city surveillance cameras is public information
A public defender sued last year after the city denied her request for surveillance camera location data.
