The Times-Picayune recently finished an exposé of the crisis in the Louisiana prison system. Louisiana has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, at enormous human and financial cost. In an eight-part series that later became the source of a column in the New York Times, the newspaper focused on both the political underpinnings and social consequences of incarcerating so many members of society.
The HBO series Treme, set in post-Katrina New Orleans, is the most realistic portrait of that troublesome time that I've seen in the almost five years since it occurred. As a New Orleans resident and former evacuee, I've seen my own experiences played out on the screen. The story is my story, our story, the story of my city and everyone I know.
Louisiana's prison crisis has been much in the news recently. Just a few days ago I posted about the terrible conditions and what the ACLU is doing to help alleviate the overcrowding and over-sentencing.
In that post I mentioned an ACLU-sponsored bill, House Bill 543, which would grant parole eligibility for nonviolent and non-sex offenders who have been sentenced to life without parole. These prisoners wouldn’t automatically be let out of prison – rather, they would have the chance to go before a parole board and prove that they are ready to re-enter society rather than spending the rest of their lives behind bars.
Earlier this week, the City of New Orleans and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) entered a consent decree to revamp the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). A consent decree” is essentially a contract monitored by a judge to ensure that the terms of the agreement are met. This is the broadest such agreement in the DOJ's history, covering all aspects of the NOPD from recruitment and training to officer discipline. It will, literally, remake the NOPD and, we hope, remake the city of New Orleans.
A conversation between Dennis Parker and Marjorie Esman about Hurricane Katrina and the racial injustices that it exposed to the rest of the country.
Dennis Parker: Let me begin the conversation by asking you, Marjorie, as a New Orleans resident and rights and liberties advocate, what you think was the most important lesson learned from the disaster?
