NCJ Number
222718
Date Published
August 2007
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This research paper provides the first comprehensive published review of the acute and lasting impact of hurricane Katrina on the criminal justice system of New Orleans.
Abstract
Results suggest the importance of having strong organizational structures in place in communities; if solid foundations of the criminal justice system are not in place before disasters, the existing foundations will likely fail. Before Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans criminal justice system had long been plagued with inefficiencies and structural barriers that interfered with fair administration of justice. Before Katrina, almost all criminal justice system agencies in New Orleans faced extensive funding problems, had been repeatedly criticized for weak management, and had the reputation as one of the most violent cities in the country. The aftermath of the hurricane has provided and continues to provide a unique opportunity for criminal justice stakeholders to assess the situation as the city repairs the damages due to Katrina. Lessons learned from Katrina have relevance beyond the Gulf Coast in that they can assist jurisdictions around the country should those jurisdictions be confronted with natural or man-made shocks to a system that is devoted to keeping residents safe. New Orleans has a unique opportunity to create new, fortified foundations through systems change across the entire spectrum of criminal justice process. Two years out, assessing whether New Orleans could have done better with regard to components of the criminal justice system is not effective; instead, it is far more important to focus on how to bring all agencies together to create a model criminal justice system for the future. Detailed assessments of pre- and post-Katrina justice administration are provided. Data were collected from interviews with dozens of criminal justice stakeholders living and working in the greater New Orleans area, coupled with an extensive review of published and unpublished documents. Figure, table, references