Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman overruled his chief deputy three years ago to award a $23 million construction-management contract for his new jail complex to a company the deputy rated lower.
Marlin Gusman appears to have misled the public about the ownership of a key property that is part of his planned jail complex.
Having not met for almost two months, Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s Criminal Justice Working Group will now need at least three more months before making a final recommendation on the total capacity of a new city jail.
Sheriff Marlin Gusman has no hard evidence to back his recent claim that New Orleans needs a jail that would hold 3,200 people, even after an expert hired by the city said a 1,500-bed jail would be sufficient.
A resolution supporting a new jail was proposed by someone who was not even a member of Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s advisory group on the matter.
The City Council voted unanimously this morning to approve four ordinances aimed at reducing the number of people arrested for minor crimes.
A working group established by Mayor Mitch Landrieu did not meet its obligation to make a recommendation about the size of the city’s jail by Nov. 22.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu said today the total number of beds in a new jail is still up for debate, despite a firm recommendation for a specific size from a working group run by his chief aide.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman has changed his position on work done by Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s Criminal Justice Working Group, saying he needs 1,800 more beds than the 1,438-bed facility recommended by the group.
The City Council is set to ease the punishment for some misdemeanors in an effort to unclog the city’s jails and courts.
