Birgden A1
1Orleans Justice Centre, Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, 2Forensic & Clinical Psychology Consultant, Just Forensic
Biography:
Astrid is an Australian psychologist who works in correctional, court and disability systems. She has established a statewide sex offender programs and a $20 million offender rehabilitation reform strategy in Victoria, and established and managed a drug treatment prison in Sydney. In May 2021 she was asked by a newly elected progressive Sheriff to reform the 1500-bed jail in New Orleans. This was too good an opportunity to pass up. Astrid is published in human rights, therapeutic jurisprudence and offender rehabilitation.
The Orleans Justice Centre (OJC) is a 1500-bed remand jail managed by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. The OJC replaced the Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) in 2015. Since 2013, both the old and new jail systems have been monitored by the federal government due to the ongoing dysfunction transferred from the OPP- “a hotbed of rampant violence, organized crime, and institutional wrongdoing” (see https://opprcnola.org/federal-consent-decree). In 2016 a Compliance Director was appointed as decision-maker as the previous Sheriff was incapable of complying with the law.
In December 2021 a new Sheriff, Susan Hutson, was elected on a progressive reform platform. Part of her transition process included 150 volunteers (ex-offenders, law reformers, leaders in public health/education/social services, and faith leaders) who joined six zoom subcommittees to provide evidence-based recommendations to guide the Sheriff in addressing priority areas for reform. These include keeping people in custody safe and secure, protecting their rights, protecting their health and wellness as well as that of the staff, valuing and supporting staff, keeping connected to the community, and being well-managed and operating transparently and respectfully.
In May 2022, I commenced as an Assistant Sheriff to reform the OJC. Our agenda is guided by: (a) the requirements of the Consent Monitor to meet the constitutional rights of the residents to achieve compliance with the law; and (b) the recommendations of the Transition Committee concerning the care, custody and control of persons in custody. The most pressing goals are to reduce interpersonal violence and improve the well-being of both the residents and staff.
This presentation will map out strategies that hope to create a safe, secure and humane jail: An enormous task.