Read the report here.
Since December, public officials have been trying to figure out whether all juveniles can be moved from Orleans Parish Prison, and how much it would cost.Earlier this year, a working group assembled by Mayor Mitch Landrieu met at City Hall to discuss conditions teens face in Orleans Parish Prison. Members of New Orleans City Council heard testimony from judges, youth advocates, the City Attorney’s Office and the council’s Criminal Justice Committee.
Despite the jail’s court-ordered reforms, Councilwoman Susan Guidry, who runs the Criminal Justice Committee, found just one guard is on duty for every dozen juveniles. For their protection, teenagers in custody were confined to cells for up to 23 hours a day. Yet still, somehow, they were being harassed and beaten.