In the months immediately following Hurricane Katrina, when I first started blogging about Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) and the criminal justice system in New Orleans, I was overwhelmed by the some of the comments I received from people who had survived OPP or from people who were desperately trying to locate their friends and loved ones who had been locked up before the storm.
One of my posts on OPP continues to receive comments, even as recently as this morning, from people who were locked up there. Things do not seem to have gotten any better.
Last March, the Dollars & Sense Magazine Katrina issue (which I guest co-edited) revealed that FEMA was paying OPP over $146,000 per day to maintain prisoners in the kinds of conditions described below. Where are the civil rights and human rights organizations? Why has there been no Congressional investigation? This is beyond appalling.
J. Roos
I was booked and processed at O.P.P. for two misdemeanors on july 8th 2006. My family posted bail as soon as they possible and I was not released until july 12th. The place is very overcrowded and immates do not even have room on the floor. I counted 55 people in a holding area not bigger than a classroom. Thier was no room to move you could not be anywhere without touching at least one person. The conditions are not fit for any human being. People were vomiting because of the smell and heat. The guards treated immates like animals. I believe conditions at O.P.P. should be investagated by the federal government.
Posted on 15-Jul-06 at 3:02 am
Robert Rielly
I just did 11 days in the Oleans Parish Prison… And I tell you a year after the strom that nothing still has changed. I am from NC was in NO working when I was arrest for a charge in NC. After beening in this lock up I can tell you I will never want to go to NO ever again. The gaurds at the prison are abusive and the prison is a inhumane place for anybody to locked up. I am going to file a law suit against the City of New Orleans and the Sheriff of Orleans Parish.
Posted on 15-Jan-07 at 12:38 am
Jim a very PISSED OFF citizen who BELIEVES IN THE PRESS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
But to stand by and witness the in humaine un-sanitary conditions that were in this place….. 1st cell 300sqft-85men-Toilet overflowing with piss and shit/no water, no place to sit and if you did, well you picture it. Water jug was outside the cell in sight but not in for HOURS. I recieved water after being there from 8am to finally getting a drink at 10:30pm when I was booked ... 85men was last count, they continued putting people in till it was up against the doors ... I know jails not supposed to be the Holiday Inn but animals at the humaine society have better conditions before being sentenced!!!!!! As the extra souls were put in to the cell people were being threated with more charges if they didnt SHUT UP I believe was the term. All types of arrested people were placed in these cells from tresspass, drunk, warrants, gang/bangers, possesion, murder, and probably other assorted instances. I know I heard a woman screaming she wanted an attorney now.... It got worse we were moved about 11pm to a 2 room cell with 3 toilets overflowing with crap and piss, with as many people who were in there and brought in the next morning and placed that were from other floors in the facility, ranging from career criminals to off course us waiting.... this holding tank as well did not have water until later in the day. Food was outside the cell but not brought in we were moved again to somewher else. Even in jail NOT CONVICTED or CONVICTED you HAVE HUMAN RIGHTS. Everyone was treated the same all right,,,,,Lower than the stuff that was in the toilets. The stories I heard in the MEDIA I didnt believe, I do now….
Posted on 21-Jan-07 at 6:46 am
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Robert, J., and all of us that have experienced OPP…. I didn’t realize that there were so many of us with these similar stories. I spent 30 of the most horrible hours of my life in the Orleans Parish Prison in January of 2003. My story began with the Police Dept. I was in town alone on business. While downtown after work at 5:30pm, I was attacked by a drunken crazy. I wrestled the guy to the ground and wait for help. The cops arrive, ask me if I would like to press charges, I say yes….5 minutes later they advise me to turn around. At that point, your life is over. They wouldn’t tell me what I was charged for, threatened to shut me up if I didn’t, and used several forearms to the face while getting me in and out of the police car. OPP ….. no phone call, pushed against the concrete wall by one guard for “disrespecting him”. “Don’t treat me like a nigga, you uppity fuckin’ white boy. You don’t know how we do it around here. Fuckin’ bitch.” Spit in the face by another guard for not moving fast enough. It was the most help-less feeling in my life. I finally was told what I was charged with… Public drunkedness and disturbing the Peace. WHAT????? My bar tab for my one beer, was $3.00. That is a strong beer. Half of which was spilled all over the place. Just non-sense. But….what can you say? No one will listen. If you are lucky, they won’t do anything to you. I could go on forever about this, it only gets worse. What I’m saying is – we need to do something about this. My case was dropped (after I contacted a lawyer and discussed legal action further) but it doesn’t take away all I went through. I was going to do something about it legally when I got back home to Wichita but I didn’t think it was worth the time, effort, and money but more so…I didn’t think I would be taken seriously. My word against theirs. Now, I’m reading all these stories like mine and it disgusts me. Please contact me if you are serious on the matter. No one else needs to experience this.
OPP IS THE WORST PLACE TO BE EVERYONE KNOWS OF THESE CONDITIONS YET NO ONE DOES ANYTHING THEN GUSMAN HAS THE NERVE TI GET IN THE NEWS AND SAYS HE WENT TO GRAMMAR AND HIGH SCHOOL WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING TIMES HAVE CHANGED THINGS WASN'T THAT BAD WHEN FOTI WAS IN CHARGE YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS COULD HAVE BEEN PAID A BOND AND THEY KEEP TIL THE NEXT DAY TO GET MORE MONEY AND LETS NOT TALK ABOUT THE GUARDS THEY HAVE THE MOST NASTIEST ATTITUDES IF YOU DON'T LIKE YOUR JOB QUIT PLAIN AND SIMPLE BUT DON'T MIS TREAT OTHERS I WONDER HOW THE EMPLOYEES AND JUDGES WOULD FEEL IF THEY HAD TO GO DOWN THERE AND LIVE IN THOSE CONDITIONS THE PRISONS IN OTHER STATES ARE NOT LIKE THIS ONE IT NEEDS TO BE CLOSED DOWN OR INVESTIGATED YES THE PEOPLE DOWN HAVE DONE SOME WRONG THINGS BUT THEY STILL ARE HUMAN AND SHOULD BE TREATED LIKE HUMANS NOT LIKE ANIMALS .
My Husband is in OPP.Has been there since Nov. 5, 2009. They are charging him with a white collar crime.WE are from the Dallas area. He has been thru pure Hell there. Everyone has been moved since he has been there. He keeps things they are going to move him. But not yet. To maybe someplace closer to home so we can at least see him. Don’t know what they are waiting on. He writes me about the conditions all the time. It breaks my heart. He does not deserve to be in a place with the harden crimimals.Nobody deserves to be in a place like that. I feel so helpless.Want to do something to help him get moved closer to home. what do I do? Annette