Progress Looming in New Orleans Prison Debate?

(Update: New Orleans has long been the incarceration capital of the U.S., imprisoning more people per capita than anywhere else in the country. But in a vote on February 3, the city council approved a new 1,400 bed jail that is less than half the size of the decaying facility it will be replacing, rejecting a proposal from the sheriff to build an even bigger jail after dozens of Change.org members and other activists urged them to consider alternatives to incarceration.)

As the most incarcerated city in the world, the last thing New Orleans is a new mega-prison. While a new prison must be built, a mayoral working group last month thankfully recommended that the city build one much smaller than a previous proposal, which would've seen a return to the pre-Katrina status quo of one prison cell for every 65 city residents. Now it’s up to the mayor and the city council to approve and implement the recommendations. And it’s up to us to help.

Last month I reported on the fight in New Orleans -- a fight between upholding a broken system of over-incarceration and corruption, and progressive policies that could reduce the city's reliance on imprisonment. Over a hundred Change.org members petitioned the city to build a smaller prison more in line with its actual needs, and although support for that position is gaining momentum, there are still some who remain devoted to the incarceration machine that built the original Orleans Parish Prison (OPP).

While initial reports stated Sheriff Marlin Gusman wanted a replacement jail with more beds than the current 3,500, it seems he is reconsidering. Before Katrina hit, OPP had 7,500 beds, making it the largest in a city of New Orleans' size, helping it earn the top spot in the ranking of world incarceration rates. Since Katrina, the prison buildings that are still standing have become even more uninhabitable. Of the current 3,500 beds, some are in dilapidated buildings and others are actually in tents outside.

The working group tasked with making recommendations on the new OPP construction was made up of everyone from the district attorney and sheriff to local pastors and private citizens. Remarkably, on their November 19 meeting they voted unanimously to approve construction of a 1,483 bed jail. However, when they gathered the following Monday to hash out the details, the resolve wasn’t quite so firm.

What changed? A list of accompanying conditions to the working group's recommendation caused three key members to vote against the final version. Sheriff Guzman, Judge Paul Sens, and District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro all voted against the final recommendation, which included a clause requiring the demolition of existing facilities.

It seems they didn’t have a problem agreeing to a drastically smaller facility as long as they didn’t have to shut down the old one. I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Guzman wanted a brand new jail and intake facility in addition to the current one. It seems through this rejection the D.A. and the Sheriff aren’t as committed to helping the city clear up their reputation after all, and that perhaps they fail to grasp that as long as there are empty beds, they will get filled.

Community activists are asking why the sheriff seemed so ready to approve a 1,438 bed facility one day, only to reject it two days later without explicitly stating he wants to hold on to the older buildings. Another curious fact: the sheriff’s architects left a large empty lot in planning documents with no explanation. It’s been suggested that he hopes to fill that lot with yet another building.

There’s no reason for the new OPP to be cloaked in secrecy and no excuse for city officials to give in to the incarceration-first mentality within New Orleans. Urge the city council and the mayor to authorize the construction as detailed within the mayoral working group recommendations.

Change is often hindered by fear and adherence to broken traditions; this despite the majority support for progressive reforms of the criminal justice system. A smaller jail coupled with more progressive policies will help New Orleans be better known for its wealth of culture than its crime rate.

Photo Credit: YoTuT