Two N.O. prisoners receive overdue release

By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer

The Louisiana Department of Corrections released prisoners Jessie Crittindon and Eddie Copelin on Friday, January 13, one day after the MacArthur Justice Center filed lawsuits to secure their freedom.

Crittindon and Copelin were New Orleans prisoners housed in a jail in East Carroll Parish. They remained in jail for months after they completed their sentences (1.5 for Copelin, 5 for Crittindon). While they have received their release, the MacArthur Justice Center believes there are many other men suffering the same fate.

“This is a great victory for these two men, who should have been home with their families months ago,” said Katie Schwartzmann, co-director of the MacArthur Justice Center office in New Orleans. “However, we believe there are over 100 additional affected individuals who have been eligible for either release or transfer to DOC custody but have been sitting in the East Carroll Parish jail with no legal classification. The work to identify those additional men continues.”

While MacArthur representatives were pleased with Crittindon and Copelin’s release, they expressed anger that their incarceration was prolonged in the first place.

“We are frustrated that legal action was required to free these men and we are frustrated that so many are still being impacted,” said MacArthur Justice Center attorney Emily Washington. “This problem would have been avoided if the proper steps had been taken by these agencies once these individuals received sentences. At the very least, this should have been fixed when we notified the agencies of the illegal holds weeks ago (in December).”

In a statement released to The Louisiana Weekly, Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Communications Director Ken Pastorick said the DOC cannot release prisoners until they receive the proper paperwork from a sheriff, the uniform commitment order, the jail credit letter, and sentencing minutes.

Schwartzmann acknowledged the DOC moved quickly once litigation was filed and credited Gary Maynard, compliance director for Orleans Parish Jail for recognizing the gravity of the situation and the need for correction. But she had harsh words for the East Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office and jail.

“In stark contrast (to the DOC), the staff at the jail in East Carroll and the East Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office have not exhibited a similar sense of urgency. They have continually failed to respond and have obstructed our access to the facility to interview people,” Schwartzmann said. “We have seen deeply troubling patterns in the time that Orleans prisoners have been held there (East Carroll Parish Jail). Now it is clear that they cannot even process basic information about whether they have the legal authority to detain the men in their custody. The use of East Carroll by the state and Orleans Parish should end as quickly as possible.”

Imprisonment beyond the allotted sentence is problematic on multiple levels. It prevents prisoners from returning to their lives and families. But aside from the human costs, there are also budgetary concerns. It costs taxpayers extra and unnecessary money every single day a prisoner is held beyond his sentence.

In an interview with WWL TV, Crittindon said he missed his children’s birthday parties and Christmas with his family because of his wrongfully extended sentence. He also added that now that he is out of prison, he will fight for the rights of other prisoners in similar situations.

“They can’t speak from back there,” Crittindon said to WWL TV. “So by me being on the outside, I can be their voice.”

Requests for comment from the East Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Gary Maynard’s office were not returned as of press time.

This article originally published in the January 23, 2017 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.