In July, a new state law put all Louisiana pretrial juvenile detention centers under the umbrella of the state Office of Juvenile Justice. Soon after, the agency filed an ‘emergency order’ approving the use of ‘chemical agents’ in those facilities.
Supposedly, the Civil War dismantled the politics that pitted “slave states” against “free states.” And yet the effect of the punishment-exception clause in the Thirteenth Amendment was to not only sanction the preservation of slavery and involuntary servitude, but also to extend it nationwide.
A federal judge ordered the DOC to improve conditions for workers forced to in Angola’s fields. The crews now have sunscreen and a 10x10 popup tent for shade.
The north Louisiana prison was using solitary confinement as a “depository for the mentally ill,” judge had ruled.
Though the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals differed with some of the district court’s July 2 decision, the higher court agreed that Angola Farm Line workers deserve water, rest, and equipment to protect from heat
The Orleans Justice Center has surpassed the city’s jail population cap, sparking questions about how to increase releases while reducing bookings — and what the rising jail population means for the health of those incarcerated and for the city of New Orleans.
