New Orleans Jail Prisoners Abandoned During Katrina Flooding

The Orleans Parish Prison — holding approximately 6,500 inmates, 88% of whom were Black, the majority awaiting trial and not convicted — was not evacuated as Katrina approached. Floodwaters entered the facility; prisoners were left without food, water, or medical care for days. Human Rights Watch documented beatings by guards and intermingling of adult and juvenile detainees. Several inmates died; hundreds suffered medical crises.