Louisiana
Federal judge reinforces order for heat protection for Louisiana inmates at prison farm
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday ordered officials at the Louisiana State Penitentiary to increase shade and take other steps to protect prisoners doing agricultural labor from dangerous heat.
U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson’s order reinforced a similar one he issued in July. This one cites photographs showing inmates in the fields of a former slave plantation with a single pop-up tent for around 20 men, little protection from the sun and nowhere to sit. The photos were provided by Voice of the Experienced, the advocacy group that sued over conditions for inmates working the “farm line” at the immense prison farm in Angola.
“Taken at face value, Plaintiffs’ allegations in this matter have portrayed the State of Louisiana in a harsh and unflattering light. Defendants contribute to this depiction with their apparent obstinance towards proposing meaningful changes to conditions on the Farm Line,” Jackson, based in Baton Rouge, wrote.
A spokesperson for the state corrections department said officials would not comment until they had time to fully review Jackson’s order.
Jackson’s latest order said there were 50 instances of inmates reporting illnesses from July 2 to Aug. 5, with seven requiring emergency medical treatment. He ordered more tents be provided and that they be erected close to where prisoners are working. He also ordered that some form of seating be made available and that workers be given 15-minute breaks every 45 minutes when heat alerts are in effect.
State corrections officials appealed Jackson’s original July 2 order in the case. A panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals pared some of the original ruling but kept some key requirements intact while the appeal continues. As he did on July 2, Jackson declined to halt farm line work during heat alerts.
The litigation over farm line conditions comes amid growing nationwide attention on lucrative prison labor systems with roots in the era of slavery. A two-year Associated Press investigation linked the supply chains of some of the world’s largest and best-known companies – from Walmart to Burger King – to Angola and other prison farms, where incarcerated workers are paid pennies an hour or nothing at all. Several companies, including Cargill, have since said they have cut ties or are in the process of doing so, with prison farms or companies that use incarcerated labor.
The last of two inmates who had been on the run since escaping from a jail in the southern Louisiana city of Opelousas earlier this month has been caught, officials said Friday. A third inmate who was also part of the escape died by suicide after being caught by police, authorities previously said.
Keith Anthony Eli II, 24, was taken into custody in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said in a news release. Opelousas is located about 25 miles north of Lafayette.
Guidroz said Eli was captured by narcotics detectives and a SWAT team thanks to a tip.
At the time of his escape, Eli was held on an attempted second-degree murder charge.
The three men had escaped the St. Landry Parish Jail on Dec. 3 by removing concrete blocks from an upper wall area, Guidroz said at the time.
Authorities said the inmates then used sheets and other materials to scale the exterior wall, climb onto a first-floor roof and lower themselves to the ground, Guidroz said.
Escapee Jonathan Joseph, 24, was captured on Dec. 5. He is in custody on multiple charges, including first-degree rape.
Joseph Harrington, 26, faced several felony charges, including home invasion. On Dec. 4, one day after the escape, he was recognized by a tipster while pushing a black e-bike. Police found the e-bike at a neighboring home and heard a gunshot while trying to coax him to leave the building. He had shot himself with a hunting rifle, Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux said by telephone to The Associated Press.
The escape came more than seven months after 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail. All ten of since been captured.
Victims speak on ‘Goon Squad’ sentencing
‘Goon Squad’ victims Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker speak during a press conference after the sentencing at the Rankin County Circuit Court in Brandon, Miss., on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
Eddie Terrell Parker, one of two men who settled a civil lawsuit against Rankin County and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department in the “Goon Squad” case, was arrested Wednesday, Dec. 17, and is being held in a northeast Louisiana jail on multiple charges.
Louisiana State Police Senior Trooper Ryan Davis confirmed details of the incident to the Clarion Ledger via phone call on Friday, Dec. 19.
Davis said Parker was traveling east on Interstate 20 in Madison Parish, Louisiana, when a trooper observed Parker committing “multiple traffic violations.” Davis said the trooper conducted a traffic stop, identified themselves and explained the reason for the stop.
Parker was allegedly found in possession of multiple narcotics, along with at least one firearm.
Parker was booked around 8 p.m. Wednesday into the Madison Parish Detention Center in Tallulah, Louisiana, on the following charges, as stated by Davis:
- Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute
- Possession of ecstasy with intent to distribute
- Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute
- Possession of cocaine with intent to distribute
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
- Possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled substance
- Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
Details about the quantity of narcotics found in Parker’s possession were not immediately available.
Davis told the Clarion Ledger that Parker received a $205,250 bond after appearing before a judge.
Parker, along with another man named Michael Jenkins, was tortured and abused on Jan. 24, 2023, at a home in Braxton, at the hands of six former law enforcement officers who called themselves “The Goon Squad.” Parker and Jenkins filed a lawsuit in June 2023 against Rankin County and Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey.
Each of the six former Mississippi law enforcement officers involved in the incident are serving prison time for state and federal charges. Those officers were identified as former Rankin County deputies Brett McAlpin, Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Jeffrey Middleton and Daniel Opdyke, and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield.
Court documents show U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III issued an order on April 30 dismissing a $400 million lawsuit brought by Jenkins and Parker, saying that the two men had reached a settlement with the county and Bailey. Jenkins and Parker sought compensatory damages, punitive damages, interest and other costs.
According to court records, the case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. However, the order stated that if any party fails to comply with settlement terms, any aggrieved party may reopen the matter for enforcement of the settlement.
Jason Dare, legal counsel for the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, stated the settlement agreement totaled to $2.5 million. According to Dare, the settlement was not an admission of guilt on the county’s or the sheriff’s department’s part.
Pam Dankins is the breaking news reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Have a tip? Email her at pdankins@gannett.com.
The Port of South Louisiana on Thursday announced that Julia Fisher-Cormier has been selected as its new executive director.
The announcement follows a national search and a unanimous vote of a…
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