Most people in the New Orleans jail have not been tried or convicted
As of May 10, 2016, there were 1,572 people in the jail. The vast majority of them (90 percent) were not serving a sentence but waiting for their day in court. People awaiting trial for felony charges or disposition of probation or parole violations represent the vast majority of the jail population. People convicted of a crime and serving a sentence in the jail were only 10 percent of the population.
The distinction between pre-disposition and sentenced populations is an important one. People who are “pre-disposition” have been charged with a crime or with violating the terms of a previous conviction, but their guilt has not yet been established, so they are presumed innocent. In contrast, people who are “sentenced” have been found guilty of their charges.
