CrimProf Doug Colbert and Law Students Help New Orleans Inmates Over Break

From examiner.com: Two and half years later, Hurricane Katrina victims fight to keep their homes, while others spend months in jail before overwhelmed prosecutors press charges and still more live in trailers as they wait for new housing.

University of Maryland law students plan to travel to the Gulf Coast this week — and give up their winter vacation — to offer their legal smarts and rebuild broken lives.

One group of students will work at the Baton Rouge, La., public defender’s office interviewing inmates to chip away at the backlog of cases that mushroomed when victims relocated and doubled the state capital’s population.

“When people are remaining in jail for many months before they are able to see an attorney, that does a great harm to the criminal justice system,” said CrimProf Doug Colbert.  Rest of Article. . .

[Mark Godsey]