We’ve got some good, some bad, and some ugly in court news this week.
The good: Jarvis DeBerry wrote a nice piece on the opportunities that responsible, non-violent offenders are getting through the Re-entry Court run by Judges Hunter and White.
And even better: Court Watch NOLA noted a sea change in public perception at Wednesday’s City Council Criminal Justice Committee meeting. During the meeting, City Council President Stacy Head urged the District Attorney to monitor the U.S. Attorney’s prosecution of the (alleged) Mother’s Day Second Line shooters to make sure the feds “don’t drop the ball, and if they do that you can pick it up.” Under the previous administration, the idea that the D.A. might be better equipped than the feds to handle important prosecutions would have been laughable, but the office has come a long way under District Attorney Cannizzaro (with more work to do, of course).
The bad: Sheriff Gusman continues to miss court-mandated deadlines for reforming Orleans Parish Prison.
And in related news, the ugly: another video showing inmates with drugs and contraband in OPP has surfaced. OPP needs to change the way it operates, especially given the huge number of defendants incarcerated there, many for nonviolent offenses, while awaiting trial.
