NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A sweeping state audit says failures in staffing, security checks, spending oversight and deputy accountability at the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office helped create the conditions surrounding last year’s jailbreak at the Orleans Justice Center.
The Louisiana Legislative Auditor said the review was launched after 10 inmates escaped from the jail on May 16, 2025, and examined OPSO operations from 2022 through 2025.
Among its findings, the audit said OPSO staff did not routinely conduct required jail inspections and security checks. During the week of May 11 through May 17, 2025 — the week of the escape — auditors found staff documented inspections during only 206 of 322 required shifts, or 64%, and documented only 2,700 of 9,072 required security checks, or 29.8%.
The report said performance varied sharply by pod. In one example, only 14 of 336 required checks on Pod 1C were documented, or 4.2%…