In an analysis of publicly available 911 data, the Vera Institute of Justice - a nonpartisan group comprised of hundreds of researchers and advocates - found that over 61 percent of 911 calls in New Orleans are for non-criminal situations.
In 2011, then Councilperson Susan Guidry put forth the first cannabis reform ordinance in modern New Orleans history. It allowed New Orleans Police to issue a municipal summons for simple possession of cannabis for first-time offenders in lieu of custodial arrest. In 2014, the Louisiana legislature allowed cities to create their own punishments for misdemeanors, […]
Yesterday was a big day in New Orleans for advocates of criminal justice and mental healthcare reform, especially the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition (OPPRC). A crowd of community advocates spoke in opposition to the construction of a new Phase III jail for inmates with mental health problems at the city council meeting. These advocates […]
Pretrial detention is an oft-questioned policy that truly stands at odds with central American values, regardless of what the Supreme Court says, or – really – doesn’t say. When one is arrested, the arresting officer is supposed to be able to demonstrate probable cause to justify the arrest. Generally (there’s variation across states), the accused […]
In a scathing joint statement released Thursday the NAACP, ACLU of Louisiana, VOTE, ADL South Central Region, Urban League of Louisiana, and the VERA Institute for Justice issued a statement calling on Gov. John Bel Edwards to implement independent, third-party oversight of the Louisiana State Police (LSP) following the release of horrific footage of the […]
Editor’s Note: This piece was originally posted on the Vera Institute of Justice’s “Think Justice” blog. It has been reposted here with permission. In the past month alone, 41 heat records were set across the country with temperatures as high as 112 degrees. Who is bearing the brunt of this? The 2.2 million people living in over […]
Will Snowden, director of the New Orleans office for Vera Institute of Justice and former New Orleans public defender speaks on the historic passing of Amendment #2 and also addresses implications of its practice moving forward.
Go to Page