Fentanyl, a powerful and highly addictive opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine, is killing far too many people in Louisiana. According to statistics released by District Attorney Jason Williams at Monday’s City Council Criminal Justice Committee meeting, 284 New Orleanians died from fentanyl overdose in 2020. They account for 78% of […]
Category: Criminal Justice
Torturing the Mentally Ill: Louisiana Bill Could End Solitary Confinement for Mentally Ill People
April 27, 2021A bill to stop people with serious mental illnesses from being incarcerated in solitary confinement has been deferred to next week’s agenda in the Louisiana House of Representatives. The bill, HB 68, was authored by Representative Mandie Landry. In the past, Landry successfully championed a bill that prohibited Louisiana prisons from putting pregnant women in […]
Louisiana’s Criminal Justice System Is Broken. These Bills Could Fix Some of Its Problems.
April 22, 2021It’s no secret that Louisiana’s criminal justice system is one of the most biased, severe, and harmful justice systems in the world. According to reports from the federal government last year, Louisiana incarcerates more people, per capita, than any other state in the country. “We warehouse more people in prison than anywhere else, and I […]
Why Is Policing on Claiborne Avenue More Intense Than Policing in the French Quarter?
April 22, 2021Due to a steep decrease in COVID-19 cases, New Orleans moved into Modified Phase Three COVID-19 restrictions this month. These relaxed requirements reduced the curfew placed on bars so they can now stay open until 1 AM, increased the permitted amount of people allowed to gather indoors and outdoors, to 150 and 250 respectively, and, […]
State Rep. Duplessis Introduces Debt Free Justice Legislation for Louisiana’s Juveniles
April 15, 2021State Representative Royce Duplessis was adamant on changing what he considered “bad policy” when he drafted HB 216, known in juvenile justice circles as the “Debt Free Justice” legislation. If passed, it would eliminate all administrative fees, costs and taxes levied on juvenile offenders statewide. The legislation does not do away with punitive fines or […]
A Service Dog Shot Last January and a Puppy Shot This Week. Why Does the NOPD Keep Shooting Dogs?
April 15, 2021On Saturday night, an NOPD officer shot and killed a four-and-a-half-month-old puppy named Apollo in the Lower Garden District. Two officers had responded to a noise disturbance call, opening the gate of a home on the 1400 block of Felicity Street. The home belonged to Derek Brown and Julie Barecki-Brown, a married couple who had […]
Candace Newell’s Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Could Impact Louisiana Incarceration & Industry
April 9, 2021Representative Candace Newell filed legislation HB 243 to decriminalize marijuana possession and distribution in Louisiana. Newell felt motivated to write this bill, “Because I have seen the disparities in how people are treated in this state. Black and brown communities are treated far more harshly than others.” Newell emphasized that the legislation would have a […]
OPPRC Unveils Mural in Effort to Bring Attention to Problematic Cash Bail System in New Orleans
April 7, 2021Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition (OPPRC) is working to end cash bail and make jails in New Orleans more humane. Established in 2004, OPPRC is a grassroots group of individuals who work to improve the conditions of those held in Orleans Parish detention. The group works to reduce incarceration and create more humane jail conditions. […]
LA State Rep. Mandie Landry Is Unapologetic in Her Fight for the Rights of Sex Workers
March 31, 2021Working within the conservative Republican-controlled Louisiana Legislature, it hasn’t been easy for a progressive first-term female Democrat like State Representative Mandie Landry to pass legislation vital to her constituents’ quality of life. But that hasn’t stopped Landry from preparing an aggressive 2021 legislative agenda that will address several important issues. At the top of Landry’s […]
Two-Thirds of Louisianians Support Legalizing Marijuana
March 29, 2021According to a poll recently conducted by JMC, two-thirds of Louisianians support legalizing marijuana. The poll found that 67% of residents support marijuana’s legalization, which reflects a 13% jump from last year when they conducted a similar poll. 16% of respondents favored only legalizing medical marijuana, 8% favored keeping recreational and medical marijuana illegal, and […]
Go to Page