August 20, 2007
Foreword . . . . . 4
Executive Summary . . . . . 7
Introduction . . . . . 9
Racial Injustice in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina . . . . . 11
Police Abuse . . . . . 11
STEVEN ELLOIE . . . . . 13
Over-Policing and Racial Profiling . . . . . 14
DONALD JOLLY, DORIEN JOLLY, AND ANTOINE LEWIS . . . . . 15
Housing Discrimination . . . . . 16
Voter Disenfranchisement . . . . . 16
Orleans Parish Prison Today . . . . . 18
The Race to Reopen and Rebuild . . . . . 18
Significant Problems at Orleans Parish Prison . . . . . 19
Environmental Hazards . . . . . 19
Medical Care Falls Short . . . . . 20
Inadequate Mental Health Care . . . . . 21
New Orleans: A City Without Mental Health Care . . . . . 22
The Criminalization of Mental Illness . . . . . 22
KATHERINE MATTES . . . . . 24
Excessive Force and Unchecked Prisoner-on-Prisoner Violence . . . . . 25
MICHAEL BOUSUM . . . . . 26
In-Custody Deaths . . . . . 27
THE DEATH OF GLENN THOMAS . . . . . 28
The Sheriff's Revised Evacuation Plan . . . . . 29
Louisiana's Indigent Defender Crisis . . . . . 30
Devastation Brings Change: Reforms in the Indigent Defender's Office . . . . . 30
JAMES TERRY . . . . . 31
The Legislature Starts Taking
Responsibility for Indigent Defense . . . . . 32
A Precarious Balance: The Need for
Increased and Reliable Funding . . . . . 32
The Costs of Inadequate Defense . . . . . 32
The World is Watching: Human Rights for the Victims of Katrina . . . . . 35
Conclusion . . . . . 37
Recommendations . . . . . 38
Recommendations to Federal Officials . . . . . 38
Recommendations to State Officials . . . . . 39
Recommendations to Local Officials . . . . . 40
Recommendations to the United States Government at the Federal, State, and Local Levels Regarding International Human Rights Obligations . . . . . 41
Authors . . . . . 42
Endnotes . . . . . 44
