Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams calls for transparency in juvenile ankle monitoring
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Local and state law enforcement leaders will meet on Tuesday, Aug. 6 for a juvenile justice summit with the governor. One issue that will be at the forefront is the use of ankle monitors to keep track of juvenile suspects.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said that as of now, there are no real rules the district attorney can easily rely on when it comes to juvenile electronic monitoring. Now, he looks to make some serious changes.
According to Williams, the juvenile justice system has much to improve on. He said two of the main issues it faces are a lack of transparency regarding when and how juveniles are released and how juveniles are tracked with ankle monitors.
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“As you all are all aware, there are currently no uniform protocols, standards or rules that my office, the rest of the system or the general public can easily rely on,” he said during a news conference on Monday, Aug. 5.
Williams is now calling on juvenile court judges to conduct hearings on all juvenile defendants who are under any form of electronic monitoring to determine if they’re compliant or not. He asks that any defendant who’s found noncompliant be taken into custody immediately.
“There must be accountability and strict adherence to rules, supervised release and electronic monitoring, ” he said.
He also said any future juvenile released with electronic monitoring should be monitored in real time.
“Simply put, juvenile court needs transparency. It needs transparency in sentencing and release protocols,” said Williams.
To increase transparency, he wants the juvenile justice intervention center to notify the public in every case of escape or if a violent individual who’s been released has tampered with their ankle monitor.
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“Victims need to know when a defendant is not where he’s told to be. And, frankly, that juvenile. He needs that degree of accountability so that he can grow and develop to be a better person than when he came into the system.” he said.
Following Williams’ conference, the City of New Orleans issued a response.
The District Attorney’s Office is mistaken in their recollection of the discussions surrounding this issue. A review of the correspondence exchanged during that time does not support the district attorney’s office statement. In fact, it demonstrates that the DA’s office proposed a plan to address electronic monitoring last spring.
To support coordination around this issue, the Office of Criminal Justice facilitated an interagency meeting with the juvenile legal system and community stakeholders. Following this interagency meeting, the Office of Criminal Justice requested and did not receive any response or follow up from the juvenile legal system agencies, including the District Attorney’s Office, regarding the desire to move forward with alternative electronic monitoring programs.
It is important to understand that the Office of Criminal Justice works as a positive facilitator to share financial resources and works to obtain additional funding to partner with the diverse agencies involved in electronic monitoring. Together we can find solutions regarding this issue, but there needs to be a strong shared response from judges, the District Attorney’s Office, OCJC, and our community stakeholders.
The Office of Criminal Justice stands ready to continue proactive dialogue with law enforcement agencies and the community to work together to achieve the best outcomes for the electronic monitoring program and OCJC is committed to the objective of the safety and well-being for all our citizens.
City of New Orleans
Williams will present his ideas at Tuesday’s summit where Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill will also be present.
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