Civil rights attorneys representing people incarcerated in the New Orleans jail say that they were misled by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office regarding a Netflix reality show that was filmed at the facility and is set to air later this month.
The attorneys, who are part of a longstanding federal consent decree — meant to improve conditions at the jail and bring it into compliance with the U.S. Constitution — claim Sheriff Marlin Gusman’s office twice informed them that the show had been “shut down and terminated” after they raised concerns about it last year.
But the show, “Jailbirds: New Orleans,” which features female detainees incarcerated in the Orleans Justice Center, is set to come out on Sept. 24.
But defense attorneys and criminal justice reform groups are also criticizing the underlying premise of the show. In a joint statement on Thursday, the Orleans Public Defenders, along with the Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition, Voice of the Experienced, and the Promise of Justice Initiative, said that they were “appalled” to learn of the show.
“Mass incarceration has innumerable and detrimental impacts to individuals, their families and the community,” the statement read. “It should not be misconstrued as some form of summer camp for adults, or used for punchlines, sound bites, or exploitation of vulnerable people. That reality TV is a priority speaks volumes.”
They called it an “abhorrent misuse of the Sheriff’s time.”
