Suit Alleges ‘Scheme’ in Criminal Costs Borne by New Orleans’s Poor

A lawsuit filed against New Orleans criminal district court alleges that it runs a “scheme” in which the poor are jailed if they fall behind paying fines. “The extent to which every actor in the local New Orleans legal system depends on this money for their own survival is shocking,” said Alec Karakatsanis, a founder of Equal Justice Under Law, a civil rights group, and one of the lawyers who filed the suit….

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1.5 Million Missing Black Men

For every 100 black women, there are only 83 black men. Among whites, it’s 99 men/100 women, nearly parity. Mass incarceration and early death are principal factors. In certain cities, including Milwaukee, more than 42% of black men are missing. This has serious ramifications for community and family life.

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