Overcrowding at a parish jail is more than a problem of limited space. When too many people are held in an outdated or inadequately staffed facility, basic…
Military service is often associated with discipline, courage, and a strong sense of responsibility. Yet for some veterans in East Baton Rouge Parish, the…
A criminal case can continue long after a person leaves the courtroom. Fines, court costs, supervision charges, booking expenses, drug-testing fees, and…
Cash bail is often described as a way to ensure that people return to court. In practice, it can turn a person’s income into a deciding factor in whether they…
Speaking at a public meeting about jail conditions can turn a private experience into a matter of public record. A few minutes at a parish council meeting,…
East Baton Rouge Parish faces many of the pressures that accompany an overburdened criminal legal system: crowded detention facilities, long case delays,…
A teenager can enter the justice system for conduct that reflects poverty, trauma, mental illness, unstable housing, school exclusion, or an unsafe home…
A headline about an arrest, a contraband search, a court appearance, or a disturbance at East Baton Rouge Parish Prison can spread quickly. These reports may…
A jail is designed to hold people safely while their cases move through the legal system, but confinement alone does little to address the conditions that…
For people living with diabetes, a missed insulin dose, delayed meal, or unavailable glucose test can become a medical emergency. In a parish jail, where…