wtul news and views speaks with Janet Hays for OPPRC

Janet Hays of HealingMindsNOLA speaks about a 30 Nov vigil at Gravier Park against a prison expansion for Orleans Parish Prison. Despite expert reports, and a decision of the New Orleans City Council, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office is pushing to spend $55 Million in FEMA dollars to expand the number of beds at the OPP facilities--known as "Phase III." The previous two phases did not include facilities capable of caring for incarcerated people with mental health needs.

Opponents of the jail expansion cite the City Council decision to cap the number of beds at OPP, and are pushing for an alternative $8 Million retrofit onto the second prison building so that it can serve the mental health needs of prisoners in Orleans Parish.

The Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition is calling for a candlelight vigil 5 pm 30 Nov at Gravier Park, so that Opponents and special experts on prison reform can speak to the impact of the prison and its social consequences.

Janet also speaks to the need and the movement to de-incarcerate and de-criminaize people with mental health issues.

"that whole phase three component seems to have been deliberately engineered by the sheriff who wants to build more beds over the 1438 in the facility that was just constructed

the building does not have the spaces needed to properly and constitutionally care for people with special needs, i.e. mental illnes, physical disability, women and chlidren

A compliance director was mandated to come to New Orleans by Judge Africk, he will ultimately make the decision on whether or not a phase 3 component is built

The decision on whether or not he thinks a phase 3 is needed will be on December the 1st, so the OPPRC, a coalition made of stakeholders including people who were formerly incarcerated are holding a vigil form Nov 30 to Dec 1st to rally support form the community to pressure the decision makers to not build a phase 3 facility which would cost about 55 M dollars in FEMA money, and instead renovate the 1438 bed facility which could achieve the same purpose but cost $8-9 M."