The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog: ACLU Report Details Horrors Suffered by Orleans Parish Prisoners in the wake of Hurricane Katrina

"'The sheriff's office was completely unprepared for the storm,' said Tom Jawetz, Litigation Fellow for the National Prison Project. 'The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals did more for its 263 stray pets than the sheriff did for the more than 6,500 men, women and children left in his care.'

Prisoners went days without food, water and ventilation, and deputies admit that they received no emergency training and were entirely unaware of any evacuation plan. Even some prison guards were left locked in at their posts to fend for themselves, unable to provide assistance to prisoners in need."
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