By Nicholas Chrastil | The Lens | July 23, 2019 The Vera Institute of Justice — along with the ACLU Louisiana, the Foundation for Louisiana and Stand With Dignity — on Tuesday made their case for eliminating cash bail and conviction fees to the New Orleans City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee. The presentation was based on a report…
By Chad Calder | Nola.com | July 20, 2019 A Gretna police officer posted a comment on his Facebook page this past week calling U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a “vile idiot” who “needs a round, and I don’t mean the kind she used to serve.” The comment, which alludes to the freshman Democrat’s past work…
By Thanh Truong | WWL | July 19, 2019 In New Orleans, we’ve heard quite a bit this week about the body-worn cameras police wear when they respond to calls. When turned on, body-worn cameras can back up police accounts, as they did in a shoot-out between New Orleans Police and two suspects at CVS last month.…
By Dan Fagan | The Advocate | July 6, 2019 Eighteen-year-old Theron Glover has been a busy young man as of late. Police have already arrested him several times this year, and he currently faces 160 pending charges in New Orleans Criminal District Court. Last week, police arrested Glover again for opening fire on a…
By Mike Perlstein | WWL | July 1, 2019 NEW ORLEANS — About one-third of suspects booked with violent felony crimes in New Orleans are deemed low-risk to re-offend or miss court in a risk assessment survey used by the court to determine bail, but those assessments are often ignored by the magistrates setting bail,…
By Rob Masson | Fox 8 New Orleans | July 1, 2019 at 1:09 PM CDT – Updated July 1 at 5:43 PM NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) – The Metropolitan Crime Commission released a report calling the local inmate risk assessment program a waste of money Monday afternoon (July 1). “The Public Safety Assessment is…
By Amanda Roberts | June 24, 2019 at 9:42 PM CDT – Updated June 25 at 7:00 AM NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) – Walking across the stage, it appears Ashley Crawford did earn a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola university in 2016. But earning the degree doesn’t give you the license to practice law. Rafael Goyeneche with the…
By Heather Nolan, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Criminal justice advocates look at New Orleans’ successful reduction in jail population — 1,200 inmates now compared to more than 6,000 pre-Katrina — as the first step in a movement toward reform. Now, they’re pushing for local policy changes that would eliminate money bail, a practice they say…
By Rob Masson | June 19, 2019 at 5:22 PM CDT – Updated June 19 at 5:59 PM NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) – The Metropolitan Crime Commission is revealing some startling statistics as they prepare a report on a prisoner risk assessment system that’s now drawing criticism. The city, which operates the system says it’s…
BY RAMON ANTONIO VARGAS | STAFF WRITER PUBLISHED JUN 18, 2019 AT 11:42 AM | UPDATED JUN 18, 2019 AT 7:59 PM Wearing hooded sweatshirts to hide their faces and blue medical gloves that wouldn’t leave fingerprints, two men from Indiana barged into a CVS pharmacy on Prytania Street early Monday, bound two employees with…