Forum Post: The Orleans Public Defenders
Posted 11 years ago on Nov. 9, 2012, 6:27 p.m. EST by GirlFriday
(17435)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
—The Orleans Parish Public Defenders office, which is looking at a 32 percent cut in its general fund allocation, from $1.2 million in 2012 to $800,000 in 2013. Chief defender Derwyn Bunton claims he will have to lay off 8 (more) attorneys because of the cut. Link
If you read that small paragraph in the above link then you found another link. This one: New report levels blame, praises Orleans Parish public defender's office It provides a quick run down.
I am adding this article as it adds to an earlier thread started by LeoYo :
But, Assistant District Attorney Chris Bowman said Court Watch’s report is flawed because it doesn’t take a holistic approach to examining the system. He added that simply studying continuances does not give an accurate picture of how the court system is working.
“In and of themselves, they are not a sign of inefficiency,” Bowman said.
He acknowledged that trials cause delays but said that without the realistic threat of a trial, the district attorney’s office cannot effectively prosecute cases. Defendants have to believe they may go to trial and face more serious punishment to be motivated to accept plea deals, he said.
The push to hold more trials was designed to convince defendants that threats from the district attorney’s office had teeth, and Bowman said that push has succeeded. He noted that in 2012 more plea deals are being made by defendants, and the court is operating more effectively and efficiently. Link- Group sees rise in continuances Trend could be partially linked to increase in cases brought to trial
This is the link to the organization listed in the above article http://www.courtwatchnola.org/ and you will find the report under the tab "Reports".
The Prison Industrial Complex will really love this one and Louisiana already has some of the worst "correctional facilities" (a misnomer if ever there was one) in the US. There was a teenaged poster on here from the start of this forum to only a few months back who posted strongly on this matter however, unfortunately I can't recall his moniker (oh fickle fame and failing memory, lol). This is a good post about a bad subject. Nice one GF.
fiat justitia ruat caelum ...
Correctional Facilities - whew that naming has always stunk - unless you benefit from prison labor.
US = <5% of World but 25% of The Global Prison Population !!! The Incarceration Industry is out of control !! This Sh*t is SERIOUSLY out of order !
multum in parvo ...
It's a growing industry.
And when you look at who makes up the numbers in those prisons, it looks like racism to most people.
The following story must get right up the RW noses. (fox nooz, I know)
For the first time in U.S. history, the Latino vote can plausibly claim to be nationally decisive,” Stanford University professor Gary Segura said on Election Night.
Professor Segura calculates the Latino vote provided Obama with 5.4 percent of his margin over Romney essentially delivering a victory in the popular vote for him. Segura also calculates that if Romney had garnered just 35 percent of the Latino vote, he could have won the election.
In Florida, Virginia, Colorado and Nevada there is no question, based on exit poll surveys, that Latinos made the difference for the President.
Latinos increased their percentage of the electorate from 9 percent in 2008 to 10 percent in this race. In Florida, for example, the number of Hispanics in the state grew by nearly 200,000 in the last four years. Nationwide, four million more registered Latino voters have been added to the polls in the last four years.
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/opinion/2012/11/07/latinos-make-american-history-gop-pays-bill/#ixzz2BgRHL2l3
Actually, whatever it may take to "WTFU America", then so be it !!!
"The Criminal Injustice System", by Ralph Nader : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31987.htm ...
"The Economics of Incarceration, by Nile Bowie : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30469.htm &
"The Prison-Industrial Complex", by Eric Schlosser : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19152.htm !!
From last link : "Correctional officials see danger in prison overcrowding. Others see opportunity. The nearly two million Americans behind bars - the majority of them nonviolent offenders - mean jobs for depressed regions and windfalls for profiteers".
Thanx for the good & very important comment 'B' and onyer mate !
tempora mutatur et nos mutamur in ellis ...
Nonviolent does not mean that nobody was harmed in the process. It doesn't mean that they were just standing outside smoking a joint.
Fairy Nuf ! You do get a bit animated on this matter so let's stand outside & here you go ====#~~' {:-p)
minima maxima sunt ...
I might. However, failure to acknowledge it results in unnecessary opposition.
I wonder if we can extract the percentage of 'Mary-Jane Political Prisoners' as per :
My turn to 'bogardt the point' ;-)
multum in parvo ...
Here is a map from an excellent advocacy group that illustrates the "goal" of this obscenity.
Take a look at the states in the US deep south and note the percent of disenfranchised African Americans.
http://www.sentencingproject.org/map/map.cfm
It isn't only the confederate deep south but of course they are worse. John Lewis (House rep Georgia) has a bill to address the disenfranchisement of felons but it is just a small step in dealing with the broader problem.
Years of hard work is required.
We gotta get into the street and agitate all pols for change that benefits the 99% (and ends this oppresive abuse of justice/prison)
Peace.
"The Criminal Injustice System", by Ralph Nader : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31987.htm & thanx for that link.
pax ...
Nader rules. We should be half as effective as Naders raiders.
Thx
Thought I would respond to your message even though it mysteriously disappeared.
I am a registered independent and am most disappointed with those dems who betray progressive principles when they vote for the conservative policies I believe are at the root of ALL our problems.
Dem shill? I don't think so. Been called that many times but you should be smart enough not to believe that hype.
Voted for Nader in 2000, Saw him at MSG with Many celebrities. This election I voted 3rd party down the line.
Peace out!
It was a case of 'post in haste and repent at leisure' and thus your mystery is resolved by meditation upon the 'delete' option !!! Tho' I was hoping to be ironic, I was in danger of only being unintentionally sarcastic, so exercised a touch of discretion !! But I've been rumbled, lol !
pax ...
LOL
Ain't no thang.
http://www.nadcp.org/learn/what-are-drug-courts
Many courts actually start with a Drug Court.
Thanx - that link weirded me out a bit tho', lol & ...
fiat justitia ...
Weirded out? Okie dokie.
This is great. It works splendidly because you and I are on the same page. We can knock back a beer and slap each other on the back because we are in agreement. But, if you open up your paper and find out that the County Council has decided that they want to conduct a little study or investigate if it is cheaper to privatize their little jail or the state wants to turn over their prisons to CCA or GEO-this won't be useful.
Re. Private Prisons, "weirded out" or otherwise - I get your point and also accordingly append :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/27/lawmakers-lobbyists-keep-lock-private-prison-business ,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/27/private-prisons-immigration_n_1917636.html ,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_prison#Development_of_private_prisons_in_the_United_States
http://rt.com/usa/news/private-america-cca-prison-050/ &
http://www.aclu.org/prisoners-rights/private-prisons .
fiat justitia ruat caelum ...
Yep. Just like that. I heart you, Shadz.
Thanx GF & maybe at a tangent but still on the matter of 'Prisons', I append an article by Noam Chomsky :
pax, amor et lux ...
It isn't only the confederate deep south/////////////////////////////// Nothing wrong with confederate and that flag should be flying high in every ones yard
That flag and the confederate states that flew it were the enemy of the United States of America!
The confederates who flew (fly) it were (are) traitors.
And we kicked their sorry racist asses! Glory, Glory, Halleluiah! Our truth is marching on!
LMFAO
Yeppers, there's assholes everywhere.
And that flag represents many of them.
So fly it high. That way we know where you are.
The false notion that the Battle Flag must be a racist symbol is born of the mistaken belief that the Civil War was about slavery
Except for the simple fact that in all the articles of cessation it was the common thread. The thing most shared.
Proven out by the long lasting racism that persists among those who fly it to this day.
Truly fucked-up.
Americans in jail or prison due to drug charges need to be called political prisoners. Because that's exactly what they are.
"The Prison-Industrial Complex", by Eric Schlosser : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19152.htm & ..
Great comment ! "Political Prisoners" it is !! Excellent point !!!
ad iudicium ...
There is a specific law that came out in the '70s that allows this to happen. I will hunt it down tomorrow if I have time.
For profit prison - a new booming business for the wealthy.
EDIT: problem is - once they lock everyone up - who is gonna be buying anything?
They aren't making anything to buy. The law was set up for the inmates to learn skills. Hahahahahahahaha. Because putting plastic wrap on Microsoft products was a skill?
Hey - that takes a heap of learnin - keep your hands out of the way - now step on the activation pedal.
lol. Hammer out those license plates.
Damn - someone grab my finger - NOooo - off of the floor!!!
Seriously, though, they have a helluva lot more corporations involved.
Yes - THEY DO - heard of a captive audience? - a captive work force is so much worse. Unless you are the captor.
Yes, and for those that have no one on the outside they can occasionally purchase items like overpriced televisions. Or work to save money, like in the one state, and have it taken away to cover the cost of their incarceration.
Yeah penalty on top of penalty - you work while locked up - don't get paid - and get extorted for anything else that you can be squeezed for.
Well, we can throw that up here too. Lousianna has some of the worst prisons. Privatized as well.
Corrupt law enforcement and local judiciary doesn't help either. Where was that place that the judge was getting kick-backs from a 'private prison' for imprisoning and criminalising teenage kids ?! My memory just isn't what it used to be !! Privatized Prisons, worra sick joke !!!
qui tacet consentire ...
Pennsylvania.
Pennitentiarylvania ? & http://occupywallst.org/forum/the-orleans-public-defenders/#comment-873490 !
verum ex absurdo ...
That's the one.
Further to my link above, I also append :
From over six years ago but still very pertinent.
qui custodiet ipsos custodes ?
Pretty common practice across the south.
EDIT : but it looks like the practice wants to go main stream.
Love & Democracy deficit ! Nasty BS going on everywhere !! Time to WTFU America !!!
ad iudicium ...
Time and long past time. It does seem to be happening - a little.
At least they try to find them here in America. Maybe that's why we have such high rates, and b/c we are efficient and have 300mil people too. In other countries many of them get BRIBED $$$$ and they don't do anything except for the few privileged, like in corrupt places
lolwut?
I'm sorry, could you please explain.
I'm not really sure what the article is saying. It's so garbled and unclear, with no thesis or focus.... It sounds like they're criticizing our criminal justice system and police from what I can see from the comments, so I responded to that in particular
It's not one article, it is from several articles with links provided.
One says the funding is decreasing for tracking crime, one appears to be against plea bargains and prison amounts, and one says trails are being delayed. No focus
Look, there's habeus corpus already, appeals, parole and civil right groups, free lawyer representation by pro-bono, jury trials. There's the Miranda Law. I don't tolerate people who commit crimes like hate crimes, why should those people be set free? The justice system in America is a VERY decent one ALREADY.
It was a taken off of another thread that came from an article that stated that there was a problem in plea deals from the prosecutors that led to mass incarceration. That link is provided above.
Cuts have been made to the funding for public defenders everywhere and to the extent that rights are real close to being violated. I focused on one area in the US. I provided the link to the cuts. I provided the link to the stance of the prosecutor and their increases in trials. I provided a link to a group that was monitoring the courts that said that the increase in trials was not a good thing and was not necessary for all cases.
The criminal justice system has problems.
This is an excellent advocacy group which is taking action to address this obscenity.
http://www.sentencingproject.org/template/page.cfm?id=165
We can have an affect by supporting these actions. We can grow the awareness here on this forum and outside in our real lives.
Peace & solidarity!
New Orleans Struggles With Murder Rate, And Trust
Pretty standard history since day 1 nawleans - No?
No more and no less than any other city. I remember when Las Vegas won one year. Gary, Indiana won a couple of years in row.
The thing of it is that it isn't an easy ride any way you look at it. One group wants this off the streets so that they don't have to worry about sending their kids to school or letting them play outside. Another group is trying like hell to lock them up. One group is trying to make sure that they stay locked up. One group is trying to make sure that the defendents are fairly represented. A separate group is trying to profit off of them and a bunch of other people are cutting down the funding so that nobody can do anything.
Where is the sanity? Decriminalization of things like pot makes sense as it clears the court docket of non-violent crime ( which should be a personal choice matter just the same as alcohol ) it also ( decriminalization ) makes it possible to regulate like alcohol and so remove money from underground criminal enterprise. It also opens new industry possibilities and so new jobs - larger tax base stronger economy.
Edit: Is that part of the problem? If BS crime is eliminated - R they concerned that doing nothing about real crime becomes more glaring?
Wait. Non-violent crime also encompasses property crimes etc. I mean .........how many times do you want your car stolen before the mofo gets locked up for a few years. Or forgery. Or having your house broken into. Or manufacturing drugs........like bath salts and meth and trafficking drugs.
You didn't get rid of the criminal enterprise. You just flipped it. I am still in favor of decriminalization of small amounts but I sure as hell don't want the government salivating over future tax dollars that depends on a user. There will always be an underground market.
A stolen car may ( may ) be non-violent - but it still hurts someone - as does other property theft. Smoking a little weed is not hurting someone else unless it is abused like driving under the influence.
What's a joint worth in New Orleans? I'd be very surprised if it warrants anymore than an appearance ticket and a fine. And if we decriminalize petty crime we essentially legitimize it, which is exactly what the hardcore unemployed want. Personally, I would prefer to keep my belongings.
Twenty years ago, incidentally, my now deceased brother in law, a three tour Vietnam vet with the Special Forces, and later resident, had his leg blown off in New Orleans by petty thieves.
Auto theft does hurt people.
http://www.crimemapping.com/map/la/neworleans
from 11/03-11/09. The thing is that it doesn't say if it was drugs or what kind of drugs or if it was alcohol.
Does it matter? I mean it does and in a way it does not. When you have a sick society - what do you get? - Increased crime.
So when jobs in general ( when available ) do not pay a living wage - how do people make up the difference? The hardworking ( and fortunate ones at that ) will get a second and even a third job to make ends meet - but what about the not so fortunate ones(?) there are only so many jobs after all - even if they are not paying a living wage. What to do What to do. Crime - yep of one sort or another - unless of course you can qualify for aid and that aid is enough to take care of all of the essentials. Anyway a sick society breeds crime - crime of all sorts.
It matters. The Ur-Nammu law code
People have been jacked up for a long time. There is truth in what you are saying. There are those people that commit crimes like dealing to survive or prositution to survive or theft to survive. It is also true that there are those people that commit crimes because they can and believe that they can get away with it. They don't care who they harm in the process and even if they were gifted the opportunity to play straight they wouldn't.
Hmmm - those get rewarded these days on wallstreet.
EDIT : even get advisory positions at the white house.
Yep. There is truth in that. Some say that it is macro-micro.
Geeze another microwaveable mac & cheese product?