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| Orleans Parish sheriff candidates responsible for jail's troubled past seek to control its future |
| By nola.com |
| Published: 01/23/2014 |
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An unconstitutional place to house inmates. That's what the Department of Justice and advocates for inmate rights say about Orleans Parish Prison after amassing evidence of violence, sexual assaults, questionable deaths, and inadequate sanitation, medical and mental health care. At stake in the Feb. 1 election for Orleans Parish sheriff is who will lead the jail through major changes over the next four years as the multimillion-dollar federal consent decree mandating sweeping reforms is implemented, a new 1,438-bed building opens and negotiations with city officials continue over the lockup's ultimate size and its funding. The race pits Sheriff Marlin Gusman against his immediate predecessor, Charles Foti, who was sheriff for three decades, as they blame each other for the prison's problems, including inmate violence, escapes and death. Ira Thomas, who serves both as the president of the Orleans Parish School Board and the campus police chief at Southern University of New Orleans, is running on promises to bring the jail in a new direction. A fourth candidate is landscaper Quentin Brown, a frequent candidate for office. For more on OPP's troubled history, you can download these reports. Read More. |
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