The Lens » Criminal Justice

Recently, I attended a showcase at the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center, where this city’s arrested youth are held pre-trial. I was invited by artist Journey Allen, who directs youth educat...

https://thelensnola.org/2024/04/01/paintbrush-ipad-or-glock/

As Louisiana’s regular legislative session begins, all eyes are on the state’s criminal justice policy, particularly the $26-million appropriations bill aimed at implementing stricter crime-p...

https://thelensnola.org/2024/03/25/new-criminal-justice-laws-bring-unforeseen-consequences/

The bill gives only the governor – not an independent board – the power to hand-pick the State Public Defender to run Louisiana’s public-defense system. The post Senate Bill 8, which is n...

https://thelensnola.org/2024/03/23/senate-bill-8-which-is-now-law-favors-tyranny-over-justice/

Sheriff Hutson says increased jail population, addition of juveniles, could exacerbate staffing issue to “unmanageable levels.” The post New Orleans criminal-justice leaders grapple with en...

https://thelensnola.org/2024/03/13/new-orleans-criminal-justice-leaders-grapple-with-entering-the-landry-era/

The event will take place from 6 to 7:30 on Thursday, March 21, at Propeller. The post Join us March 21 to learn how to find public records related to criminal justice appeared first on The Le...

https://thelensnola.org/2024/03/06/join-us-march-21-to-learn-how-to-find-public-records-related-to-criminal-justice/

The Louisiana legislature is poised to pass Senate Bill 3, which would lower the age to criminally prosecute children as adults to seventeen. This move will exclude all 17-year-olds from the juve...

https://thelensnola.org/2024/02/28/senate-bill-3-most-likely-to-affect-teens-charged-with-petty-crimes/

Last year, on Mardi Gras Day, New Orleans police made more gun arrests than any single day in at least 13 years, maybe more, according to arrest data kept on the City Council website, which only...

https://thelensnola.org/2024/02/08/gun-arrest-data-raises-questions-about-profiling/

As state police make arrests in New Orleans, the state AG will prosecute the cases, through a new strange-bedfellows partnership between Williams and Gov. Jeff Landry. The post District Attorne...

https://thelensnola.org/2024/02/05/district-attorney-jason-williams-will-cede-some-cases-in-new-orleans-to-state-prosecutors-what-does-that-mean-for-criminal-justice-in-the-city/

The Tulane First Amendment Law Clinic is taking on our case to win access to public records that the OJJ says it can’t find—or is refusing to provide. The post The Lens: Why we’re suing t...

https://thelensnola.org/2024/01/22/the-lens-why-were-suing-the-office-of-juvenile-justice-for-public-records/

Though they once applauded the jail’s ambitious, federally overseen reforms, community groups and political leaders in New Orleans united in opposition to a key mandate stemming from those effo...

https://thelensnola.org/2024/01/02/how-phase-iii-came-to-be/

At a meeting, community members raise questions about the police department's newest surveillance technology. The post NOPD: Drones just ‘body-worn cameras in the sky’ appeared first on Th...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/12/03/nopd-drones-just-body-worn-cameras-in-the-sky/

Some advocates worry it could lead to increased police presence in already under-resourced areas. But the DA’s office says that the data is only a first step. The post The DA’s office wants...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/11/15/the-das-office-wants-to-use-predictive-analytics-software-to-direct-city-resources-to-places-that-drive-crime-will-it-work/

A federal judge overseeing the jail's consent decree has ordered the facility be built to provide constitutional medical and mental healthcare for people incarcerated. The post Judge Reese give...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/11/09/judge-reese-gives-green-light-to-phase-iii-construction-says-city-did-what-it-had-to-do-by-bypassing-city-council-approval-to-move-capital-funds/

A hearing on Wednesday will look into whether the Cantrell administration violated the city’s charter by allocating capital money to jail without City Council approval The post Judge temporar...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/11/06/judge-temporarily-blocks-construction-of-phase-iii-jail-facility/

Last month, three children were killed in a house fire, in a blaze apparently begun by their father. The incident strengthened our resolve to expand local efforts and to tap into more resources t...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/11/06/after-america-street-lets-work-toward-solutions/

Despite lacking a required DCFS license, Jackson’s detention center is housing kids awaiting adjudication — and collecting roughly $200 a day per kid from surrounding parishes The post Jack...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/11/02/jackson-parish-holding-pre-trial-youth-in-unlicensed-juvenile-jail/

OJJ pays $75 per hour to staffing company for guards. Critics say that contractor seems to be “enriching themselves on the backs of Louisiana's teenagers and taxpayers’ The post ‘Another ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/10/25/another-step-backwards-9-5-million-private-security-contract-for-louisiana-youth-prisons-raises-eyebrows/

Even as construction begins, the fight continues. Within the jail, monitors find, conditions are worse, due to the same old chronic issues: short staffing, violence, and shoddy mental-healthcare....

https://thelensnola.org/2023/10/11/no-phase-iii-still-a-battlecry/

While the move was largely made to bring down the jail’s population, placing pre-trial defendants in a state prison is “really problematic on a human-being level,” said public defender Alex...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/10/06/sheriff-hutson-moves-several-pre-trial-detainees-from-new-orleans-jail-to-angola/

She now plans to file a “civil-rights and wrongful death lawsuit” against JPSO; body-camera footage would likely be turned over in the course of those proceedings. The post Calvin Cains’ ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/10/02/calvin-cains-mother-drops-suit-for-body-cam-as-das-office-reviews-case/

As the jail population climbs toward its maximum capacity – 1,250 – as set by the City Council, it’s clear that we must take a close look at what happens inside the Criminal District Courth...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/10/02/we-cannot-reduce-crime-and-be-safe-without-remaking-tulane-and-broad/

Mallory Cains believes that the footage will show that deputies wrongfully shot her son, Calvin Cains, without giving him a chance to surrender. The post Mother of young man killed by JPSO depu...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/09/28/mother-of-young-man-killed-by-jpso-deputies-sues-for-body-camera-video/

It’s unclear what — if anything — will happen if the cap is reached, but officials say they are looking for ways to reduce the number of people locked up in the troubled facility. The pos...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/09/20/with-numbers-on-the-rise-new-orleans-jail-nears-legal-population-cap/

Calvin Cains III was killed in early June by a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputies who said they used lethal force to prevent Cains from running them over. But two key witnesses dispute th...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/09/15/the-car-never-started/

The two officers worked for one of the city’s security districts, which are not subject to the NOPD’s federal consent decree and its enforcement of constitutional standards for its officers. ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/09/12/federal-judge-rules-that-officers-violated-no-civil-rights-even-if-they-drew-guns-on-black-youth-looking-for-lost-chihuahua/

Also, advocacy group VOTE sues the city for quietly shuffling city funds totaling $32 million to the Phase III “special needs” jail. The post Options to avoid Phase III construction narrow ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/09/06/options-to-avoid-phase-iii-construction-narrow-further-as-judge-africk-denies-sheriff-hutsons-legal-challenge-to-the-jail-addition/

As Phase III proponents push to break ground on a new “mental health jail,” litigation is supplanting discussion, leaving critical design and staffing issues unresolved and costs ballooning. ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/09/01/discussion-not-litigation-brings-solutions/

Apparent Cantrell administration allocation adds $10 million from unknown source. Also, architects differentiate their jail design from notorious "panopticon" configuration. The post Without co...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/08/23/without-council-approval-city-appears-to-allocate-31-million-to-phase-iii-jail/

Federal judge in Baton Rouge hears arguments about the facility that she allowed to open a year ago. The post Youth kept at Angola facility receive poor education and are held in cells for disc...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/08/16/youth-kept-at-angola-facility-receive-poor-education-and-are-held-in-cells-for-discipline-lawyers-suggest-at-first-day-of-hearing/

Earmarked funds were initially slated for greenspace and building improvements. The post City identifies $22 million for controversial Phase III jail construction appeared first on The Lens .

https://thelensnola.org/2023/08/09/city-identifies-22-million-for-controversial-phase-iii-jail-construction/

Among other things, look for a skilled manager, an innovator, who can, despite low manpower, devise strategies to fight crime and move the department away from its long-standing culture of favori...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/08/03/nopd-chief-search-what-we-should-be-looking-for/

Attorney James E. Boren contends that Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office has too many conflicts to be advising the Board on this matter. The post Why a long list of Louisiana lawyers are u...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/08/01/why-a-long-list-of-louisiana-lawyers-are-urging-the-pardon-board-and-governor-to-grant-clemency-to-those-on-death-row/

Councilman calls proposed Phase III mental-health facility, “goofiest thing,” but the new push against the facility comes as contractors gear up to start building. The post Pushback against...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/07/13/pushback-against-phase-iii-amps-up-as-construction-looms/

Jail is plagued by too much contraband and use of force by deputies while lacking proper healthcare and classification. The post Conditions backslid for first part of Sheriff Hutson’s tenure ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/07/06/conditions-backslid-for-first-part-of-sheriff-hutsons-tenure-over-new-orleans-jail-monitors-find/

The bills would roll back landmark reforms passed during Edwards’ administration, advocates say The post Criminal-justice reform groups want Governor Edwards to veto these bills before upcomi...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/06/29/criminal-justice-reform-groups-want-governor-edwards-to-veto-these-bills-before-upcoming-deadline/

Andrews, 18, was killed Monday -- “for nothing," as he came home from his summer job The post Revell Andrews, Picture of Potential appeared first on The Lens .

https://thelensnola.org/2023/06/27/revell-andrews-picture-of-potential/

City officials are mostly united in their opposition to building the new 89-mental health facility, which is slated to cost $109 million. The post Weeks before projected groundbreaking, Sheriff...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/06/27/weeks-before-projected-groundbreaking-sheriff-susan-hutson-files-motion-in-federal-court-to-stop-construction-of-controversial-phase-iii-jail-building/

Though the city proposed a year extension for Wellpath, whose contract lapsed in May, the Council deferred approval. Councilwoman Helena Moreno is pushing for a full committee hearing to assess t...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/06/12/city-council-delays-proposed-21-million-contract-extension-for-wellpath-controversial-jail-healthcare-provider/

Eighteen-year-old Calvin Cains III was killed by JPSO deputies on Tuesday in front of his mother, who says deputies didn't announce themselves or give him a chance to surrender. The post ‘No ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/06/09/no-time-for-him-to-do-anything/

The city’s proposed new contract with UMC -- which goes before the City Council on Thursday -- summarizes its purpose very simply: “New Orleans faces a severe epidemic of gun violence. Hospit...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/06/07/back-to-the-lions-den-violence-interrupters-to-re-start-street-gun-violence-interventions-as-city-partners-with-university-medical-center/

The state's highest court refuses opportunity to resolve long-standing dispute about whether shipping detained kids out of state violates Louisiana law. The post State Supreme Court declines to...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/06/05/state-supreme-court-declines-to-hear-case-about-louisiana-kids-jailed-out-of-state/

People experiencing a mental-health crisis could be more frequently stabilized and treated, not arrested. The post City rolls out non-police 911 mental-health response appeared first on The Le...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/06/01/city-rolls-out-non-police-911-mental-health-response/

For nearly a decade, Calvin Pep used what he’d learned on the streets to stop bloodshed through Cure Violence, a city-funded effort to prevent violence. From his teen years on, Pep had been “...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/05/25/a-group-of-violence-interrupters-worked-the-streets-of-new-orleans-to-prevent-retaliatory-shootings-until-they-were-sidelined-2-years-ago/

Lawyers representing police officers who are accused of racially profiling and pulling guns on several young Black males who were searching for a lost dog argued in federal court Wednesday that t...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/05/24/federal-judge-in-new-orleans-weighing-suit-over-security-district-police-stop-of-young-black-males/

Our guests this week are reporter Nick Chrastil on what deficiencies monitors found at the Orleans Parish Jail and reporter Marta Jewson on racial diversity in the city's charter school system. ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/05/19/behind-the-lens-episode-204-some-of-the-most-shocking-things-we-heard-about-were-medical-and-mental-health-care/

Monitors tasked with overseeing the New Orleans jail and tracking its compliance with the long-running federal consent decree said staff falsified suicide-watch documentation, rubber-stamped inve...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/05/16/orleans-jail-monitors-find-falsified-records-understaffing-at-facility/

A new report by the national non-profit Human Rights for Kids has found that the degree to which the United States punishes crimes committed by kids is far out of line with international standard...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/05/10/louisiana-leads-nation-in-percentage-of-people-in-adult-prisons-for-crimes-they-committed-as-kids/

On Dec. 2, 1996, Beatrice Taylor hobbled out of her apartment complex to a nearby payphone and dialed 911.  She told a Gretna police dispatcher she needed officers to come out to her home for ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/05/06/after-23-years-in-prison-for-killing-her-abuser-she-hopes-no-one-in-louisiana-has-to-do-that-again/

A measure that would add a conviction for fentanyl distribution to the short list of crimes punishable by a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole is being backed by Louisiana ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/04/20/a-louisiana-lawmaker-wants-mandatory-life-without-parole-sentence-for-fentanyl-distribution/

After weeks of delay, civil rights attorneys representing people locked up in the New Orleans jail are now satisfied that the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office has turned over all the records the...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/04/07/sheriff-turns-over-information-related-to-questionable-uses-of-force/

In late January, a sergeant working in the New Orleans jail called for backup because a detainee, who was housed on a tier reserved for people with mental health needs, had a broomstick in his ce...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/04/05/orleans-parish-sheriff-hutson-witholding-investigative-records-related-several-serious-uses-of-force-on-mental-health-tier/

Abdullah Muhammad entered the gates of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola as a 25-year-old with a freshly issued life sentence. At intake, before he was issued a prison jumpsuit, guards s...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/04/04/drug-related-deaths-at-angola-prompted-strip-searches-but-who-is-bringing-in-contraband/

The decision by District Attorney Jason William to charge the teens as adults was controversial, if not surprising. During his campaign for DA, Williams promised to keep all cases involving kids ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/03/30/in-linda-frickey-case-da-williams-using-controversial-legal-doctrine-to-seek-life-sentences-for-4-teens/

 Earlier this month, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams announced that he was going back on his campaign promise to never utilize or threaten to use the state’s habitual offender ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/03/22/how-will-the-das-decision-to-revive-the-habitual-offender-law-impact-plea-negotiations-in-new-orleans/

Getting within 25 feet of a police officer after being told to stop would be a crime under a measure being pushed by a Louisiana lawmaker, but the idea is raising constitutional concerns among ad...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/03/16/proposal-to-give-police-25-foot-buffer-raises-constitutional-concerns/

The court has updated language on mailed summonses, but attorneys question completeness of juror rolls. The post Jurors return to criminal court in New Orleans after pause due to summons debacl...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/03/08/jurors-return-to-criminal-court-in-new-orleans-after-pause-due-to-summons-debacle-but-concerns-remain/

Health director Dr. Jennifer Avegno says she wants to put tens of millions behind violence intervention programs. The post With future of city’s gun violence office uncertain, health departme...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/02/23/with-future-of-citys-gun-violence-office-uncertain-health-department-to-develop-its-own-robust-prevention-program/

Jury summonses continued to list outdated qualifications after a state law change in 2021. The post Alleged exclusion of people with felonies from jury pool doesn’t warrant new trial, judge r...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/02/01/alleged-exclusion-of-people-with-felonies-from-jury-pool-doesnt-warrant-new-trial-judge-rules/

Lawyers and advocates argue jurors with felony convictions have been improperly excluded from jury pools. The post After halting Criminal Court jury trials, hearing reveals new details on juror...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/01/25/after-halting-criminal-court-jury-trials-hearing-reveals-new-details-on-juror-summons/

Eligible jurors may have been excluded as far back as Aug. 2021 when a new state law went into effect. The post Jury trials in New Orleans criminal court halted through February appeared first...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/01/23/jury-trials-put-on-hold-in-new-orleans-criminal-court-until-march-due-to-questions-over-exclusion-of-jurors-with-felony-convictions/

Previous convictions could be challenged pending the outcome of the hearing. The post State appellate court orders hearing on whether New Orleans criminal court has been illegally excluding peo...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/01/20/state-appellate-court-orders-hearing-on-whether-new-orleans-criminal-court-has-been-illegally-excluding-people-with-felony-convictions-from-serving-on-juries/

The state law was changed in 2021. The post New Orleans trial put on hold as appellate court considers whether people with felony convictions are being illegally excluded from jury service app...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/01/19/new-orleans-trial-put-on-hold-as-appellate-court-considers-whether-people-with-felony-convictions-are-being-illegally-excluded-from-jury-service/

The city says employees will be rehired once a new fiscal agent is approved. The post Mayor’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention has ceased most operations appeared first on The Lens .

https://thelensnola.org/2023/01/17/mayors-office-of-gun-violence-prevention-has-ceased-most-operations-laid-off-all-employees-since-cea-with-fiscal-agent-lapsed-at-the-end-of-last-year/

The prison says it has made substantial improvements to conditions and mental health care, but civil rights attorneys say prisoners are still suffering. The post Conditions at a north Louisiana...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/01/13/conditions-at-a-north-louisiana-prison-were-found-unconstitutional-a-trial-starts-next-week-to-determine-what-should-be-done-%EF%BF%BC/

City officials say that FEMA regulations require them to rebid the project. The post Phase III jail facility likely much costlier than expected, renewing calls for alternatives appeared first ...

https://thelensnola.org/2023/01/09/phase-iii-jail-facility-likely-much-costlier-than-expected-renewing-calls-for-alternatives/

The health department says that they are working to address delays in admissions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The post Many criminal defendants deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial ar...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/12/21/many-criminal-defendants-deemed-mentally-incompetent-to-stand-trial-are-languishing-in-parish-jails-despite-being-ordered-care-at-state-hospital/

Eight kids are currently being held at the Angola facility, state officials say. The post State seeks to dismiss lawsuit over youth at Angola, as attorneys push for more access and information ...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/12/15/state-seeks-to-dismiss-lawsuit-over-youth-at-angola-as-attorneys-push-for-more-access-and-information/

The judge said that giving the sheriff sole authority to determine what is and isn’t confidential information related to the case was “never going to happen.” The post Federal judge nixes...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/12/07/federal-judge-nixes-sheriff-hutsons-proposed-consent-decree-nda/

Council President Helena Moreno to introduce amendment to fund homicide unit for DAs office while maintaining parity for defenders. The post Proposed 2023 budget close to providing funding pari...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/11/28/proposed-2023-budget-close-to-providing-funding-parity-between-new-orleans-da-public-defenders-following-2020-ordinance/

The Office of Juvenile Justice will ask judges to release kids who can be "safely reintegrated back into the community." The post Louisiana’s state-run juvenile detention facilities no longer...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/11/16/louisianas-state-run-juvenile-detention-facilities-no-longer-accepting-kids-citing-lack-of-bed-space/

The request comes amid an ongoing dispute over transparency at the jail. The post Months after New Orleans jail detainees injured in DOC shakedown, civil rights lawyers ask federal judge to for...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/11/15/months-after-new-orleans-jail-detainees-injured-in-doc-shakedown-civil-rights-lawyers-ask-federal-judge-to-force-sheriff-to-turn-over-records/

Hutson is asking for $13 million more than what Mayor Cantrell proposed for her office. The post Sheriff Hutson says raises coming for deputies as council questions ‘frivolous’ spending at ...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/11/11/sheriff-hutson-says-raises-coming-for-deputies-as-council-questions-frivolous-spending-at-budget-hearing/

Lawyers for the boy's parents say the warrants were unconstitutional and violated state law. The post After an autistic teen’s in-custody death, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office used crimi...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/11/10/after-an-autistic-teens-in-custody-death-jefferson-parish-sheriffs-office-used-criminal-search-warrants-to-dig-into-his-past/

Judge Elizabeth Foote called the conditions at David Wade "inhumane." The post Mental health care at David Wade Correctional Center ruled unconstitutional appeared first on The Lens .

https://thelensnola.org/2022/11/01/mental-health-care-at-david-wade-correctional-center-ruled-unconstitutional/

Over 10,000 fewer people were in prison for nonviolent crimes in 2021 than in 2016. The post Report: State has saved $150 million from 2017 criminal justice reform legislation package appeared...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/10/26/report-state-has-saved-150-million-from-2017-criminal-justice-reform-legislation-package/

The decision will impact around 1,500 cases. The post Louisiana Supreme Court declines to grant new trials for people still in prison on non-unanimous jury convictions appeared first on The Le...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/10/21/louisiana-supreme-court-declines-to-grant-new-trials-for-people-still-in-prison-on-non-unanimous-jury-convictions/

The pardons could affect roughly 10,000 cases in New Orleans. The post Marijuana pardons passed last year should soon be reflected on criminal records, officials say appeared first on The Lens...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/10/17/marijuana-pardons-passed-last-year-should-soon-be-reflected-on-criminal-records-officials-say/

Analysis shows there have been seven summonses issued in New Orleans in 2022, down from hundreds or thousands in previous years. The post Marijuana possession enforcement has ‘virtually vanis...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/10/13/marijuana-possession-enforcement-has-virtually-vanished-in-new-orleans-this-year-following-council-ordinance-nopd-policy-change/

Sheriff Susan Hutson has faced ongoing criticism over lack of transparency since she took office in May. The post Federal judge says he still has received no information from Sheriff’s Office...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/10/12/federal-judge-says-he-still-has-gotten-no-information-from-sheriffs-office-regarding-jail-deaths-this-summer/

Group says the statistics show a need for alternative, non-police responses. The post Study: Last year, 911 calls responded to by NOPD were rarely for violent crime appeared first on The Lens ...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/10/11/study-last-year-911-calls-responded-to-by-police-were-rarely-for-violent-crime/

Mayor Cantrell has signed a $1.3 million contract with a non-profit to provide behavioral health crisis response services. The post After troubled pilot program, city moving forward with plan t...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/10/07/after-troubled-pilot-program-city-moving-forward-with-plan-to-respond-to-mental-health-emergencies-without-police/

Plan to transfer juveniles to Angola facility raises concerns about education. The post Report: Education in state juvenile detention inadequate appeared first on The Lens .

https://thelensnola.org/2022/09/30/report-education-in-state-juvenile-detention-inadequate/

FEMA is covering the majority of the costs for the facility, but the city has reallocated nearly $30 million for the project. The post See where money for the controversial Phase III of the New...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/09/29/see-where-money-for-the-controversial-phase-iii-of-the-new-orleans-jail-is-coming-from/

A bill of information, which typically indicates that a defendant is cooperating, comes months before the federal trial of former First NBC Bank CEO Ashton Ryan, who was involved in various busin...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/09/19/rev-charles-southall-iii-charged-with-money-laundering/

Sheriff’s Office again offers little information on the operation or the alleged injuries. The post Several detainees injured by DOC officers during shakedown of New Orleans jail last week a...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/09/15/several-detainees-injured-by-doc-officers-during-shakedown-of-new-orleans-jail-last-week/

The transfers could violate federal law and open the state up to litigation, a juvenile justice official at the federal agency wrote days after the state's plan was announced. The post US Dept....

https://thelensnola.org/2022/09/12/us-dept-of-justice-expressed-concerns-over-states-problematic-plan-to-move-kids-to-angola-offered-assistance/

The judge presiding over the suit, who called the case against the state ‘thin,’ will issue a ruling later this month. The post Hearing on suit challenging juvenile transfers to Angola ends...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/09/08/hearing-on-juvenile-transfers-to-angola-ends-without-ruling-from-bench/

The lead plaintiff in a class-action suit against the state, a detainee at Bridge City Center for Youth, testified behind closed doors on Tuesday. The post Federal judge hears testimony on stat...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/09/06/federal-judge-hears-testimony-on-states-plan-to-transfer-youth-to-angola/

One man said he suffered two collapsed lungs after officers shot him with a bean-bag round and beat him, even as he was complying with orders. The Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the ne...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/09/02/i-almost-died-more-new-orleans-jail-detainees-say-they-sustained-serious-injuries-in-a-raid-last-month-despite-claims-made-by-sheriff/

Ronald Craige, who is diabetic, said he was not offered insulin for three-days during the standoff, despite Sheriff Susan Hutson’s claims that detainees refused their meds. The post Jail deta...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/08/29/jail-detainee-says-officer-kicked-him-in-the-face-during-raid-to-end-protest/

The documents confirm that the facility will house a maximum-security behavioral treatment program. The post State turns over documents related to housing youth at Angola appeared first on The...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/08/25/state-turns-over-documents-related-to-housing-youth-at-angola/

A ‘program summary’ suggests that the Angola facility could be used as a maximum-security unit for youths housed at any OJJ facility, not just Bridge City. The post Internal document outlin...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/08/23/internal-document-outlining-program-for-youth-at-angola-raises-concerns-among-advocates/

Hutson has not consulted the court on recent jail violence, meetings on jail improvements. The post Federal judge in consent decree case blasts Sheriff Hutson for lack of transparency appeared...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/08/18/federal-judge-in-consent-decree-case-rips-sheriff-hutson-for-lack-of-transparency/

One day after the Cantrell administration moved to terminate the reform agreement, the judge overseeing the department ordered additional scrutiny from a team of court-appointed monitors. The p...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/08/17/city-wants-end-to-nopd-consent-decree-but-federal-judge-worries-department-has-regressed/

The court has ordered the city move forward on Phase III over opposition from Mayor Cantrell and Sheriff Hutson. The post Federal magistrate judge demands answers regarding ongoing discussions ...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/08/10/federal-magistrate-judge-demands-answers-regarding-ongoing-discussions-of-jail-retrofit-alternative-to-phase-iii/

Local governments around the state have been sending pretrial juvenile detainees to neighboring states for years. One lawyer says the practice is against state law. The post Louisiana Supreme C...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/08/08/louisiana-supreme-court-could-decide-legality-of-kids-being-held-in-out-of-state-juvenile-detention-facilities/

Criminal court judges said they wanted more information on the technology before they are in charge of approving it. The post Council passes ‘guardrails’ ordinance on police use of facial r...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/08/04/council-passes-guardrails-ordinance-on-police-use-of-facial-recognition-but-does-not-require-approval-of-judge/

Cantrell admin opposes proposal calling for NOPD to submit raw data on crime, staffing and surveillance usage. The post Council to consider ordinances requiring greater transparency on facial r...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/08/03/council-to-consider-ordinances-requiring-greater-transparency-on-facial-recognition-police-operations/

His former law partner was found guilty of four tax charges in a separate case that was tried jointly. The post New Orleans DA Jason Williams acquitted on all counts appeared first on The Lens...

https://thelensnola.org/2022/07/28/new-orleans-da-jason-williams-acquitted-on-all-counts/

Williams, Burdett forgo witnesses, moving straight to closing arguments after prosecution rests. The post Jury begins deliberations in DA Williams tax trial appeared first on The Lens .

https://thelensnola.org/2022/07/26/jury-begins-deliberations-in-da-williams-tax-trial/