By Christian Roselund

New Orleans plans to fix its broken criminal justice system. Christian Roselund reports.

The team of city and state officials who gathered today in New Orleans spoke mostly about plans to rebuild infrastructure such as courts and jails damaged in hurricane Katrina and providing better coordination between various elements of the criminal justice system. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin:

[Mayor Ray Nagin]: “Courtrooms, prisons and other facilities in the criminal justice system were destroyed or heavily damaged. All of which severely limited , if not totally prevented, the ability to administer criminal justice in the city of New Orleans.”

Committee spokesperson and former Louisiana Attorney General Richard Leyoub also says the group plans to assist with the city's crisis in indigent defense, but instead of hiring more lawyers the plan hinges on pro-bono legal support from local law firms.

This crisis caused New Orleans judge Arthur Hunter to announce in late
July that he would begin releasing inmates who had been waiting an
inordinate amount of time for a trial. Today New Orleans district
attorney Eddie Jordan and state attorney general Charles Foti said
they will attempt to block the planned release of inmates.