March 9, 2021 | From City of New Orleans
City of New Orleans Files Appeal to Court's Order to Build New Jail Facility
NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans has filed a Notice of Appeal to a Court order to build a new jail building in Orleans Parish.
In response to what was previously described as an immeadiate emergency need to build out accomodations for the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office acute and sub-acute mental health inmate population (special population), the ICty invested $6.2 million in renovating the Temporary Detention Center (TDC) for this purpose, and delivered specialized space for OPSO to accomodate up to 62 inmates in the the fall of 2020 to accomodate this "emergency."
Yet, to date, there is a completely empty unit in the newly renovated TDC buildings, as renovated specifically for the OPSO special population at issue. The jail population currently is at 904 inmates, while the existing OJC Phase II jail facility currently has 1,438 beds. This does not include the additional beds available in the jail's TDC facilities. Yet OPSO has had great difficulty staffing its existing facilities. An expansion of jail facilities will only serve to exacerbate OPSO's long-standing staffing problems to the detriment of OPSO, the CIty of New Orleans, and OPSO inmates who require security staffing for their safety.
"While the Prison Litigation Reform Act prevents the Court from ordering the City to build a new jail building, the Court has nevertheless demanded and ordered, with threats of harsh penalties for the City, that the City proceed with building a new jail building to expand the jail in Orleans Parish," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "While the City of New Orleans is responsible for funding the jail, it is important for our community to also know that the OPSO currently has one of the best-funded jails of its size in the United States of America, notwithstanding our very limited resources as a City. No evidence has been offered to refute this fact."
The City's ongoing investments in OPSO include providing Orleans Parish inmates with specialized medical and mental healthcare services by a team of recognized experts in correctional care, who also service other corrections facilities throughout the country. OPSO inmates receive psychiatric services from a notably qualified and impressive psychiatric team of physicians, which is comparable to, or better than, the care offered at other corrections facilities throughout the country.
The City of New Orleans remains committed to ensuring that OPSO inmates receive the medical and mental health services they need. Given the importance of this service, the City anticipates issuing a Request for Proposals in the coming months. All corrections facility-eligible medical and mental healthcare service providers are invited to apply, including current providers.
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