New Orleans –
Citing eyewitness reports of locked prisoners being abandoned to drown
in their cells in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the American Civil
Liberties Union today demanded access to the relocated prisoners it
represents under a longstanding class-action lawsuit over prison
conditions.
Citing eyewitness reports of locked prisoners being abandoned to drown
in their cells in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the American Civil
Liberties Union today demanded access to the relocated prisoners it
represents under a longstanding class-action lawsuit over prison
conditions.
It is critically important to discover the truth about whether New
Orleans officials left these prisoners to die a nightmare death. If
true, they not only abandoned their duty, they abandoned basic human
decency, said Eric Balaban of the ACLU’s National Prison Project. While
surrounding parishes managed to get guards and prisoners to safety,
Orleans Prison Parish was plunged into chaos. We are asking the court
to grant us access to our clients so that we can get to the bottom of
this horror.