|
|
| Study calls for reduction in Orleans jail population |
| By louisianaweekly.com - Kari Dequine Harden |
| Published: 08/31/2016 |
|
A detailed study on precisely who is in jail in New Orleans shows significant progress in the city’s history of excessive incarceration rates, but also advocates for a further reduction in the jail population and a broader conversation asking, “How well is our system working?” The report released this month by the Vera Institute of Justice is titled “New Orleans: Who’s in Jail and Why,” and gives a breakdown of the demographics and justifications of the jailed population between April 2015 and March 2016. More than a decade ago, New Orleans jailed people at a rate five times the national average, but today the population of Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) has consistently decreased since 2009, according to the report. In that same time period, “local crime rates decrease, demonstrating that the jail population can be reduced safely.” In the year Vera documented the population, there was a 15 percent decrease, from 1,876 people to 1,591 people. But with the recent opening of the new jail, the report concludes the capacity outweighs the needs: “With 2,039 beds available and an average daily population of fewer than 1,600 people, the number of jail beds exceeds our current detention needs.” Read More. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think