Louisiana Prosecutors Use The ‘Habitual Offender’ Statute To Jail People For Life. Attorneys For Lifers Are Fighting Back.
Henri Lyles is challenging his life sentence under a statute that penalizes people for prior convictions. A favorable decision by the state Supreme Court would mean that he and a dozen people sentenced to life could one day be freed.
Aaron Morrison Sep 12, 2019
Meet the Latinx 19-Year-Old Running for Sheriff in a Majority-White Louisiana Parish
Jose ‘Lil Joe’ Chapa says one way to make Beauregard Parish ‘great again’ is to stop construction of a new jail and divert resources to services that keep people out of lockup altogether.
Aaron Morrison Sep 05, 2019
Louisiana Woman Sentenced to Life for Attempting to Rob Grocery Store With Toy Gun Seeks Mercy
Gloria Williams was in her 20s when she was sent to prison for her part in a robbery that turned deadly. After serving nearly five decades, including one decade in solitary confinement, Williams now has a chance at freedom.
Victoria Law Aug 06, 2019
In Louisiana, a Messenger of Change Disregards His Message
James Stewart, Caddo Parish’s DA, continues to defend controversial death sentences that originated with his predecessors.
Joshua Vaughn Jun 21, 2019
Arrested for Shoplifting and Dead 2 Days Later
A lawsuit filed by Kentrell Hurst’s children is the latest against New Orleans Sheriff Marlin Gusman over jail conditions.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 12, 2019
Louisiana Bill Could Jail Defense Attorneys for Doing Their Jobs
‘The bill forces attorneys to choose between violating our ethical mandates or going to jail for following them.’
Kira Lerner May 10, 2019
New Orleans Bail Companies Owed Millions In Illegal Fees. Now They May Get To Keep The Money.
The bail bonds industry was caught overcharging 50,000 families $6 million over 14 years, according to SPLC.
Bryce Covert May 08, 2019
New Orleans’s Youth Jail Faces Overcrowding Crisis as D.A. Targets Kids
The Orleans district attorney has said that violent youth are the city’s biggest crime problem.
Kira Lerner Apr 26, 2019
Houston Homicide Under New Scrutiny After Misconduct Allegations About DEA Agent Emerge
In 2000, Lamar Burks was convicted of murder and given a 70-year sentence. But the federal indictment of a DEA agent and witnesses who say Burks is innocent have raised new questions about his case.
Mike Hayes Apr 03, 2019
Confession Throws Prison Uprising Trials Into Chaos
A judge excluded a confession that exonerated defendants in one trial related to a Delaware prison uprising, but a pair of defendants were nonetheless acquitted, promising further problems for prosecutors.
Ella Fassler Mar 05, 2019
Sentenced To Life At 16 In Slaying Of Man Who She Said Pulled A Gun On Her
In 1996, Michele Benjamin was sentenced to life without parole for killing a man who she said solicited her for sex and menaced her with a weapon in New Orleans. A Supreme Court decision led her to be re-sentenced to life with a chance at parole in 2016. Today, a parole hearing brings the possibility of freedom.
Josie Duffy Rice Feb 11, 2019
The Appeal Podcast: Brutality in Baton Rouge
With Appeal contributors Clarissa Sosin and Daryl Khan.
Adam H. Johnson Jan 17, 2019
A Year After Police Shot Calvin Toney, His Family Still Doesn’t Know What Happened
Baton Rouge residents say little has changed after Alton Sterling.
Lawsuit Accuses A Louisiana Police Chief Of Punching a Man and Throwing His Wife to the Ground
Then he ordered another officer to arrest the man.
George Joseph Nov 13, 2018
After Victory in Louisiana, Oregon Is Now The Only State Using Split Juries to Convict People
As in Louisiana, Oregon’s practice is rooted in its own rich history of white supremacy.
George Joseph Nov 06, 2018
The Appeal Podcast: Neglect and Abuse in Our Prison Healthcare System
With Mercedes Montagnes of the Promise of Justice Initiative.
Adam H. Johnson Nov 01, 2018
Louisiana Judge Threatens To Appoint Every Eligible Lawyer To Death Penalty Case
After the state cut funds for capital defense, there’s a growing wait list of people in jail without a lawyer.
Emma Whitford Oct 29, 2018
‘Will I Get Out Today?’
Louisiana is keeping people behind bars long after their sentences have expired, attorneys say.
Victoria Law Sep 26, 2018
Louisiana Attorney General May Run For Governor By Fearmongering Over Criminal Justice
Attorney General Jeff Landry has taken a number of extreme positions on policing and sentencing in response to reform.
Kira Lerner Sep 06, 2018
Louisiana Law Enforcement Officers Are Moonlighting For A Controversial Pipeline Company
Off-duty law enforcement officers are using state resources to work side jobs for the pipeline company.
Karen Savage Aug 28, 2018
Angola Prisoner Says He Was Punished For Organizing Against ‘Slavery’
Ronald Brooks was helping plan a prison strike when he was abruptly transferred to a new prison hours away.
Bryce Covert Aug 20, 2018
Most Recent Deaths At East Baton Rouge Jail Could Have Been Avoided
A new report details the abysmal conditions, lack of medical care, and staff shortages that led to the unusually high death rate in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
Teresa Mathew Aug 15, 2018
New Orleans Court Ordered To Stop Funding Itself On The Backs Of The Poor
The criminal court was funneling millions of dollars a year from poor communities.
Bryce Covert Aug 13, 2018
New Orleans Woman Sentenced to Life In Prison For Killing Abusive Husband Is Granted New Trial
Catina Curley suffered physical abuse at the hands of her husband for more than a decade. When she turned a revolver on him, she was charged with murder and sentenced to life. Now, thanks to a court ruling, she has a chance at freedom.
Josie Duffy Rice Jul 27, 2018
This Red State Governor Is Giving Hope To People Sentenced To Die In Prison
But after a spree of commutations, the governor recently put down his clemency pen amid tough-on-crime fear mongering.
Kira Lerner Jul 09, 2018
After A Murder Conviction is Reversed, Police Chief Vows to Watch Defendant ‘Til the Day I Die’
Did a Louisiana police chief and a prosecutor cross a line when they issued televised threats to a man who'd just been granted relief by a federal appeals court in a child killing?
Max Rivlin-Nadler Jul 03, 2018
In Louisiana, Harsh Prosecutors Are Moving From Parish to Parish
When Caddo voters booted their infamous district attorney, some of his toughest prosecutors found a home in Calcasieu.
Josie Duffy Rice Jun 29, 2018
Louisiana’s Love Affair With Locking Up Kids For Life
Years after two landmark Supreme Court rulings, prosecutors in Louisiana are still overwhelmingly seeking life sentences for children.
Victoria Law Jun 13, 2018
Louisiana Prisoners Demand an End to ‘Modern-day Slavery’
People incarcerated at Angola want opportunities for education instead of hard labor in the fields.
Bryce Covert Jun 08, 2018
Louisiana Man Ordered Released From Jail After Waiting Almost Eight Years For Trial
Case called an “embarrassment to criminal justice system.”
Larry Hannan Nov 22, 2017
When “Ambiguity” Can Mean Life in Prison
A Louisiana man’s request for a “lawyer dog” was deemed unclear by the state’s Supreme Court.
Rebecca McCray Oct 31, 2017
The Trials of Leon Cannizzaro
Jessica Pishko Sep 22, 2017
Louisiana mother faces jail time for her children’s alleged crimes
A district attorney wants to solve crime by breaking up families.
Carimah Townes Sep 06, 2017
A chance at freedom, barely
Jessica Pishko Aug 18, 2017