Orleans Public Defenders

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Who We Are

OPD Statement on Adult Prosecution of Juveniles

: News; 25 May 2021

May 25, 2021

District Attorney Jason Williams’ recent decision to prosecute two fifteen year-old boys as adults is contrary to all science regarding adolescent development and public safety. During his campaign, Mr. Williams specifically committed to hold children accountable in ways that are developmentally appropriate and to never prosecute children in adult court and never incarcerate them in adult jails or prisons.

Two OPD Staff Named Inaugural LDF Marshall-Motley Scholars

: News; 19 May 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2021

ORLEANS PUBLIC DEFENDERS’ VICTOR OLOFIN AND MARKUS RENEAU CHOSEN AS INAUGURAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND MARSHALL-MOTLEY SCHOLARS
Groundbreaking Program Provides Full Scholarship and Support for the Next Generation of Civil Rights Lawyers; Olofin and Reneau are 2 of the 10 Cohort Across the South

This week, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF) announced its inaugural Marshall- Motley Scholars Program recipients. Among the 10-person cohort are OPD Reentry Paralegal Victor Olofin and Staff Investigator Markus Reneau. The groundbreaking program seeks to shape and support the next generation of civil rights lawyers working in service of Black communities in the South. Scholars will receive a full law school scholarship, internships with national and regional civil rights organizations, and a postgraduate fellowship focused on addressing racial justice.

Yes to HB 46! Protect Against Unjust Pretrial Incarceration

: Calls To Action; 26 April 2021

We join our friends and partners at the ACLU of Louisiana to call for an end to Louisiana's unjust pretrial incarceration system.

Right now, if you were arrested in Louisiana, you can sit in jail for weeks, or even months, without a criminal charge. Under current law, you can be held up to 4 months before the prosecutor decides to bring formal charges. Meanwhile, families are separated, people lose jobs, innocent people sit jailed, and millions of taxpayer dollars are spent in jail costs.

NO to HB 586! Protect Public Defense in Louisiana

: Calls To Action; 26 April 2021

The Louisiana legislative session has begun and a newly-introduced bill looks to drastically change the entire landscape for public defense in Louisiana, threatening access to and the quality of legal representation for hundreds of thousands of Louisianans.

NO ON HB 586!

OPD Statement on Derek Chauvin Verdict

: News; 21 April 2021

As we heave a collective sigh of relief following the Derek Chauvin verdict, we must remember justice is more than one verdict in one trial. The criminal legal system is not where justice for George Floyd, justice for countless others, justice in this moment, begins or ends. It is simply a stop on a longer, more difficult, more painful journey.

The Lens: New policy says Orleans prosecutors should refuse all low-level drug charges except those for heroin and fentanyl

: News; 13 April 2021

“When it comes to health and community safety, treating drug possession cases outside of the criminal system is the right thing to do, and what New Orleans has asked for in the most recent election” - Danny Engelberg, OPD Chief of Trials

New policy says Orleans prosecutors should refuse all low-level drug charges except those for heroin and fentanyl

The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office says it is adopting a policy of refusing all charges for possession of small amounts of drugs — which they define as “an amount that is intended only for personal use” — with the exception of heroin and fentanyl.

That means that while the New Orleans Police Department may continue to arrest individuals for small amounts of drugs, the DA’s office’s policy is not to prosecute them. The office said they had informed the NOPD about the policy, but “wouldn’t be able to speak to any decisions about NOPD’s plans to arrest or not arrest for certain offenses.”

Read the full article from The Lens here.