Less than two weeks after 10 inmates escaped the facility, the Orleans Parish jail is preparing for potential evacuations due to plumbing failures that have caused flooding.
In a statement released Wednesday, Sheriff Susan Hutson said emergency repairs were made over the weekend, but plumbing issues persist inside the jail, and water has continued to accumulate in parts of the facility.
She said the agency is working to bring in external water supplies as a temporary fix.
According to WDSU, the jail’s plumbing issues started on Friday night. Inmates have complained about backed-up toilets causing a foul smell, which has added to rising tensions at the facility.
“There’s already so much going on in there,” one inmate’s sister told the news outlet. “What else are they going to have to do to get someone to care?”
“It feels like they’re punishing everyone for the escape,” an inmate’s mother said. “But not everyone is responsible.”
Sheriff Hutson said the problems stem from “years of deferred maintenance, chronic overcrowding, and a lack of meaningful investment.” She also said that items flushed down the toilet by incarcerated individuals have worsened the flooding.
“These recurring plumbing issues highlight a much deeper infrastructure crisis,” Hutson said in her statement. “This is not just a facilities problem. It's a public safety issue, a staffing issue, and most of all, a human dignity issue.”
Hutson has repeatedly blamed infrastructure and staffing issues for the jail’s plumbing and security woes. She said the city has yet to address the jail’s needs.
"We are operating with outdated surveillance, aging infrastructure, blind spots in supervision, and critical staffing shortages," Hutson said earlier this month. "These vulnerabilities have been raised repeatedly in our funding requests and now, the consequences are undeniable."
At a press conference regarding the jailbreak, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the city has allocated more than $577 million to the sheriff’s office over the past seven years.
“So we have been doing our part, my administration, and we will continue to do that on behalf of the residents and visitors that we serve every day,” Cantrell said.
The Orleans Parish jail population has increased by more than 15% since January 2024, according to data from the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice Coordination. That spike has coincided with the time since Gov. Jeff Landry took office and began implementing a tough-on-crime legislative agenda that has lengthened sentences, eliminated parole, and reduced opportunities for early release for those who demonstrate good behavior while incarcerated.
The jail’s plumbing crisis comes as NOAA is predicting an above-average hurricane season. Hutson warned that the jail’s deteriorating conditions could hamper their evacuation efforts and overall operations.
In a statement shared with WDSU, the Sewerage and Water Board said they completed repairs near the jail on Monday and had no reports of pressure issues at the facility. WWNO has reached out to SWBNO for more information.
Garrett Hazelwood contributed to this report.
