Returning home after incarceration involves far more than walking through the prison gate. A person may need identification, transport, stable housing,…
Louisiana’s habitual offender law is often described as a sentencing rule for people convicted of more than one felony. In practice, it can shape the lives of…
Plea bargaining is a central feature of criminal courts in the United States. A person accused of an offence may plead guilty in exchange for a reduced charge…
A thoughtful letter can interrupt the isolation of imprisonment and remind someone that their life is larger than a case file or cell number. A coordinated…
When a person is experiencing psychosis, suicidal distress, severe depression or another acute mental health crisis, a jail cell is often treated as the…
A parish sheriff controls decisions that can affect liberty, safety and public money, particularly when the office oversees a large detention facility. The…
When a loved one is incarcerated at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, obtaining reliable information about their health can be difficult. Families may hear…
A traffic stop can appear to be a minor legal event: a speeding ticket, an expired registration notice or a citation for driving without proof of insurance. In…
Arrest figures can look like neutral measurements, but they are shaped by decisions made long before a person reaches a courtroom. Police patrol patterns,…
A public jail oversight board can give a community an independent way to examine detention conditions, review complaints and press authorities for change. In…