Citizen Crime Watch Blog

Inmate grateful for chance to learn
The Times-Picayune
Friday, January 18, 2008
By Laura Maggi

When Michelle Lopez “rolled out” of jail in April, she was just two days shy of taking the GED exam at the alternative school set up in the South White Street facility that houses female inmates awaiting trial at Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.

After she was arrested again in December on a prostitution charge, Lopez, 33, thought that at least she would have a second chance to take the test. A crack addict constantly drawn back to the streets, Lopez said she is ready to change her life when she next finds herself on the outside. She said she wants to get help to quit drugs and wants to use a GED to get a job.

“I love to get high. That is one of my biggest problems,” said Lopez, who added that she is working with a social worker to find someplace to go when she gets out of jail this time. …

Lopez is one of 280 students in New Orleans jails studying for the GED or attending basic literacy classes to prepare for the high school equivalency exam, said William Delaney, principal of the Alternative Learning Center, at a Wednesday open house for the program.

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Treatment Falling Short
By Allen Johnson, Jr.
Gambit Weekly
1/15/08

Violent crimes get the headlines but they constitute a minority of cases at Criminal District Court. More than half the courts’ dockets are filled with drug cases. Last week, experts at two nonprofit drug-treatment centers said there were 226 treatment beds available for the city’s drug addicts, a population estimated at more than 10,000. Another 104 additional beds will be available within four months, says Kevin Gardere of Bridge House, but New Orleans will still be far short of the drug rehabilitation services it needs. “If you really wanted to have a big impact, you need 1,000 treatment services for about 10,000 people” for a “full continuum of case, ” says Ed Carlson, a spokesperson for Odyssey House. Greg Rusovich, chair of the New Orleans Crime Coalition, says the group is seeking federal funding for more drug rehab services.