Name
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First Name
Last Name
Email
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1. Many people enter the jail in medical or mental health crisis—whether experiencing withdrawal, detox, untreated mental illness, or the effects of life on the street. What immediate protocols will you put in place to ensure proper screening, triage, and stabilization of individuals at intake? How will you ensure that trained medical or behavioral health staff—not deputies—are the ones assessing and responding to these needs from the moment someone is booked?
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2. With NOAA predicting an above-average hurricane season, Sheriff Hutson warned that the jail’s failing infrastructure could “hamper…evacuation efforts”. What specific hurricane or disaster evacuation plans will you implement for OPSO? For example, how would you ensure safe sheltering or transport of inmates during a Category 4 storm? Who (city, state, federal agencies) will you coordinate with, and will you maintain transparent evacuation protocols for families and the public?
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3. Some American jails and prisons are over a century old and still in use, yet the Orleans Justice Center is less than a decade old, costing hundreds of millions, and been referred to as both “state of the art” and a “lemon.” News reports cite “years of deferred maintenance, chronic overcrowding, and a lack of meaningful investment” at the jail. As one of the largest single investments of public funds, how will you improve fiscal transparency at OPSO, including construction and maintenance of contracts?
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4.Will you accept campaign contributions from individuals, and their significant others, who receive contracts from OPSO?
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YES
NO
Please explain:
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5. Will you publish detailed budget reports or data dashboards (e.g. on healthcare spending, incident reports, staffing levels, program participation)?
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YES
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Explain any commitments you will make to open data or independent oversight.
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6. Do you support an OJC public oversight commission that is accountable to the people of New Orleans?
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YES
NO
7. After 10 people escaped from the Orleans Parish jail (with at least one person claiming he was “let out”), the jail operation has been criticized for infrastructure and staffing failures. What concrete steps would you take to fix these systemic security lapses?
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8. How would you address root causes like understaffing (also consistent problem under Sheriff Gusman), that is rampant in the corrections industry nationwide?
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How would you allocate infrastructure funding in light of the need to allocate more with staffing funding?
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9. As a law enforcement agency, OPSO is not just charged with managing the jail, but also with facilitating public safety measures that benefit the entire city. What type of programs will you champion as alternatives to incarceration?
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10. Do you support pretrial release programs for people charged with low-level offenses , overcrowding bonds (as Jefferson Parish has), improved mental health/crisis intervention services outside the jail, or diversion courts for substance abuse? Please describe any additional initiatives you would implement on behalf of OPSO to keep people out of jail when appropriate, in order to focus jail resources on public safety.
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11. The jail population has surged 15% since January 2024, as court dockets are backed up, low-level allegations result in high bonds, NOPD sometimes arrests people when they could issue a summons, people have probation or parole “holds” preventing bond, and the district attorney takes excessive time to charge people. What efforts, if any, will you take to safely reduce jail overcrowding?
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12. Would you use various state laws like La. R. S. 15:764 (overcrowding beyond 7 days) and 15:571.3(A)(2) (allocation of Good Time reduction credit) to release eligible individuals?
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YES
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13. The sheriff’s 2025 City budget request was $88.3 million. This was a $33 million increase from 2024—due to overcrowding (1,529 detainees, ~20% over the 1,250 cap) and yet OPSO is still only 55% staffed. Both the City Council and the voters have (and may in the future) rejected multiple funding requests from OPSO. How would you allocate your budget amidst rising costs and funding shortages? What would you prioritize? Please explain your strategy for allocating funds and recruiting/retaining staff under these constraints.
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14. For those incarcerated who are dealing with major health concerns, continuity of care is critical when they leave jail. Advocates recommend “partnerships with community-based providers to deliver healthcare services to incarcerated people”. If elected Sheriff, will you prioritize such partnerships? If so, how will you coordinate with community clinics, hospitals, or case managers to ensure people leaving OPSO – or being transferred to state prison – have a plan for prescriptions, medical appointments, or mental health counseling?
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15. How will you ensure that individuals with chronic medical conditions (e.g. diabetes, hypertension) and those with serious mental illness continue to receive adequate care (medication, follow-ups, counseling) upon admission to the jail and throughout their incarceration? Describe any staffing, policy, or oversight measures you would enforce.
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16. The Orleans Parish jail relies upon Wexford Health Sources, Inc (a contract negotiated by the Mayor and paid through the Council) to provide all medical and mental health care to people in custody. As the only on-site entity, what specific steps would you take to ensure Wexford and other contractors are meeting their obligations and providing adequate care? Would you commit to regular public audits, contract reviews, or third-party evaluations? Please explain how you would hold private contractors accountable if they fail to deliver quality care.
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17. Many jails and prisons, including the OJC, are moving toward free or low-cost access to phones, tablets, video calls, and digital legal resources for incarcerated people. Congress mandated this in the Martha Reed Act, however, President Trump’s FCC has delayed enforcement due to pressure by the sheriffs and corporations reaping profits from outrageous rates. Digital tools are vital for staying in touch with loved ones, accessing legal materials, reducing isolation, and reducing violence. Do you support the continued use and expansion of these technologies within OPSO custody? Why or why not? What, if any, limits or conditions would you place on this access?
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18. Whereas the jail is out of constitutional compliance regarding access to legal materials, would you support the extension of legal research apps on the tablets? If not, how will you ensure the requirement of legal resources is met?
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19. Pre-trial detainees and individuals serving time for misdemeanor convictions have not lost the right to vote. Please explain how you intend to guarantee the right to register to vote and the right to vote for all eligible residents incarcerated at OJC? What policies would you implement, and how would you guarantee that individuals can have access to the necessary certificate and paper form to request an absentee ballot?
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20. Would you grant access to the secretary of state’s website on tablets so that individuals can register to vote?
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YES
NO
21. In your opinion does the jail provide sufficient protections for LGBTQAI residents? If not, what policies do you intend to implement to protect this population
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22. Access to clean water for drinking and bathing remains an issue at OJC, how do you intend to guarantee the right to water?
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23. Jails are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions1, how to you intend to reduce the GHG emissions at the jail? What programs or operations changes would you implement?
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24. The Prison Policy Institute published a shocking study about birth behind bars,2 do you feel OPSO’s current policy on this issue adequately protects residents who are pregnant? If not, what policies would you implement?
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25. Women’s health needs in jails are chronically under met, do you believe OPSO’s current policy on this issue adequately protects women residents? If not, what policies would you implement?
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26. Recent state legislation mandates local jails to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, including honoring ICE detainer requests. At the same time, Orleans Parish has a long-standing consent decree limiting participation in immigration enforcement. How would you navigate these conflicting obligations? What is your position on OPSO’s cooperation with ICE, and how would you protect the rights and safety of immigrant residents in your custody?
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In 50 words or less, what would you most like voters to know about you and your candidacy? Use this space to highlight the values, vision, or lived experience that shape your leadership and what you hope to bring as Mayor.
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