Orleans Parish Prison

The Orleans Justice Center (OJC) at 2800 Perdido Street in New Orleans is the parish jail for Orleans Parish, Louisiana, operated by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO). Historically referred to as "Orleans Parish Prison" or OPP — and still called that by many local families — the current OJC replaced older jail buildings that were catastrophically damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and it opened as the new consolidated intake and general-population facility for the parish. OJC and OPSO have been under a federal consent decree since 2013, monitored by an independent compliance director, that governs staffing, use of force, medical and mental health care, and other operational standards. For families with a loved one held at OJC, this guide explains how to visit, send mail, deposit money, use Securus phones and video, and navigate the pretrial court cycle in Orleans Parish.

About the Orleans Justice Center

Before Katrina, Orleans Parish Prison was a sprawling complex of aging jail buildings that were widely criticized for conditions long before the 2005 storm. When Katrina flooded much of New Orleans, the OPP complex was one of the most damaged jail facilities in American history, and the aftermath — including reports of abandoned inmates in flooded units — drew national scrutiny. The reconstruction and consolidation into what became the Orleans Justice Center was a decade-long process, and OJC opened as the new central facility with modernized housing and intake processing.

The 2013 federal consent decree between OPSO, the Department of Justice, and civil-rights plaintiffs was a direct response to years of documented constitutional violations at the jail. Under the decree, an independent compliance director oversees implementation of specific standards on staffing, use of force, mental health treatment, medical care, and suicide prevention, with regular public reporting. Families should know that this oversight is active and that documented concerns about a loved one's treatment can be raised not only with OPSO but through the compliance monitors and the plaintiffs' counsel.

OJC holds a mostly pretrial population — people awaiting court on state and parish charges — along with people serving short parish sentences and various holds. Because Louisiana has a large state DOC prison population and many state prisoners have historically been held at parish facilities under state contracts, some sentenced state (LA DOC) inmates may also be housed at OJC or transferred to state institutions after sentencing. Each inmate has an OPSO folder number assigned at booking, and that number, along with the full legal name used at booking, is required on every letter, deposit, and visit registration.

Visitation at OJC: one visit per week and Zoom-court coordination

OPSO's visitation policy at OJC currently permits one visit per week per inmate. Visits may be conducted in contact format on the second floor of OJC, typically scheduled around the daily Zoom court hearings — contact visits occur on the second floor of OJC after Zoom court is completed for the day. Because Zoom court runs on weekdays, contact-visit availability moves with the court schedule; confirm current visit times through OPSO's official website or by calling the automated inquiry line at (504) 827-6777 before you travel.

Every visitor must follow OPSO's dress code, which prohibits revealing, suggestive, or otherwise inappropriate attire — no shorts, no tank tops, no clothing resembling the inmate uniform, no clothing with drug or gang references. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID, expect a search on arrival, and leave phones and most personal items in a vehicle. Visitors must typically be pre-approved on the inmate's list; the process starts by contacting OPSO for the current visitor application requirements. OPSO has also expanded video visitation options through its contracted vendor, allowing remote video visits from home in addition to on-site visits.

How to send money to an OJC inmate

OPSO uses a contracted trust-deposit vendor (historically Access Corrections and, at various times, other providers) for inmate commissary and phone-account deposits. Options typically include depositing online, by phone, at a kiosk in the OJC lobby, or by mailed money order per the current OPSO instructions. Standard per-transaction fees apply and scale with the deposit amount. Confirm the current vendor and deposit routing on the OPSO website before sending, since jail deposit vendors have changed at various points. Balances stay with the inmate during their OJC custody and are returned at release or transferred if the person moves to LA DOC state prison. Our overview of how to send money to an inmate compares options and fee patterns.

Mail to an OJC inmate

Personal mail for OJC inmates goes to Inmate's Full Name and OPSO Folder Number, Orleans Justice Center, 3000 Perdido Street, New Orleans, LA 70119. The 3000 Perdido address is the operational mail address; note that some sources list 2800 Perdido as the main facility street, so use 3000 Perdido specifically for inmate mail unless OPSO has updated the routing. Include your full return address; envelopes without one are rejected.

Follow standard prohibited-items rules: no cash, personal checks, stamps, stickers, glitter, glue, tape, staples, paperclips, Polaroids, hardcover books, musical or embellished cards, or anything with electronics. Photocopied or printed photos are typically acceptable. Legal mail from an attorney or court, clearly marked as legal correspondence, is opened only in the inmate's presence. Confirm the current OPSO mail policy on the sheriff's website before sending, as OPSO has adjusted policies over time in coordination with the federal compliance monitor. Our how to send mail to an inmate covers the format and common rejection triggers.

Phone calls and video visits through Securus

OJC's phone provider is Securus Technologies. Family members set up a prepaid AdvanceConnect account at securustech.net and register the phone numbers the inmate will call. Louisiana call rates have historically been higher than the federal or California free-call model, though state-level pressure has led to reductions. Securus also offers video visitation and electronic messaging at OJC for per-item fees, which can be a practical supplement to the once-per-week on-site visit. Our guide to calling an inmate covers account setup and cost-management tips.

Court dates, bond, and release in Orleans Parish

OJC is a pretrial-heavy jail. Most people held here are moving through Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, where initial appearances, bond hearings, and preliminary examinations happen — increasingly by Zoom from inside OJC. Court records for Orleans Parish criminal cases are searchable through the Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal District Court website. Bond decisions in Louisiana can be handled through commercial surety (a licensed Louisiana bail bond company posts the bond for a non-refundable premium, typically 12 percent), through cash bond, or, in some cases, on personal recognizance without financial bond. If your loved one has been arrested, confirm the case number through the automated OPSO inquiry line at (504) 827-6777 and contact a licensed Louisiana bail bondsman or a defense attorney for the specific case.

Emergencies, safety, and consent-decree escalation paths

For urgent family emergencies such as a death, serious illness, or birth, call OPSO at (504) 827-6777 with the inmate's name and folder number and ask that a chaplain or unit staff relay the message. If you are worried about a loved one's medical care, mental health, or safety inside — and OJC's history means concerns should be documented from the outset — contact OPSO directly, keep a written record of who you spoke with and when, and follow up in writing. Because OJC is under active federal consent decree oversight, systemic concerns can also be raised with the independent compliance director's team or with the civil-rights organizations that were plaintiffs in the underlying litigation, including the ACLU of Louisiana and the MacArthur Justice Center's New Orleans office.

Avoiding scams

Third-party sites sometimes claim to offer inmate locate services, cheaper phone calls, or expedited deposits for a fee. OPSO's automated inquiry line, the contracted deposit vendor, Securus for calls, and the OJC mail address at 3000 Perdido are the authoritative and only fully reliable channels. Paying an unfamiliar site for something OPSO or its named vendors provide directly is a common way families lose money.

Records and staying steady

Keeping the OPSO folder number, the current bond status, Securus AdvanceConnect account, deposit vendor receipts, and upcoming court dates in one place carries families through an OJC pretrial stay with the least added friction. If your loved one is convicted and sentenced to state time, they will move to LA DOC custody where the rules and vendors change, and our related guides on state prison systems cover what comes next.

The name "Orleans Parish Prison" is largely historical

The federal jail census records this operation as the Orleans Justice System rather than as Orleans Parish Prison, reflecting the newer facility and naming that replaced the old jail complex. The Sheriff's Office still runs it, and it is the largest single jail operation in Louisiana at 1,936 beds. If you are working from older paperwork you will see the historical name; if you are searching an official system you may need the current one. The census also recorded 1,004 men and only 94 women, so women arrested in Orleans Parish are likely held under a different arrangement — worth asking about specifically.

How much room the Orleans Parish jail has

The federal jail census gives three different capacity figures for the Orleans Parish jail, and the gaps between them are the useful part. In its 2019 count the facility had a design capacity of 1,936 and a rated capacity of 1,936. Its highest population during that reporting year was 1,292. The design figure is what the building was drawn for, the rated figure is what the jurisdiction says it can hold, and the peak is what actually happened.

That peak sits within the design figure, which suggests the jail was not routinely operating beyond the population it was built for during that year. Short-term pressure still happens — a single busy weekend can strain intake and medical screening without moving an annual number.

The same count recorded 1,004 adult men and 94 adult women held at the facility. A jail holding both means separate housing, and often separate visiting and program schedules, inside one building — which is a common reason two people booked the same day end up on different routines.

These are census figures for 2019, so they describe that year rather than today. Treat them as the scale of the facility and confirm anything current with the sheriff's office.

Who was held at the Orleans Parish jail

On the day of the 2019 federal jail census, the Orleans Parish jail held 1,098 adults: 1,004 men and 94 women.

Women were 9% of that count. Jails typically run separate housing for men and women, and the smaller side of the population often means fewer program places, fewer visiting slots and less movement — a practical disadvantage that rarely gets stated anywhere.

The census also recorded this as a facility that holds people beyond 72 hours, rather than a short-term lockup that transfers everyone onward almost immediately. That matters for planning: it means someone can serve a full short sentence here, and that mail, deposits and visiting are worth setting up rather than waiting out.

These are census figures for a single reporting year and are now several years old. Treat the split as the shape of the population rather than a current count.

How the Orleans Parish jail compares with other jails in Louisiana

The 2019 federal jail census counted 100 jails in Louisiana. Ranked by rated capacity, the Orleans Parish jail was the 1st largest of them, at 1,936 beds.

That puts it among the largest jails in the state, and size changes the experience in ways worth anticipating. Big jails run more formalised systems — scheduled visiting slots that fill, classification that moves people between units, and phone and deposit vendors handling enough volume that the process is automated rather than personal. You will generally get further by following the published procedure exactly than by asking staff to make an exception.

This ranking covers only the jails the census counted, and reflects that one reporting year. It is a guide to scale, not a current league table.

What the Orleans Parish jail is set up to do

The federal jail census records each facility's designated functions — the roles it is set up and authorised to perform. In its 2019 count, the Orleans Parish jail was recorded as holding adults awaiting trial or serving a sentence, holding people awaiting return to probation or parole custody, running a work release program, acting as a reception or intake centre for other facilities, holding juveniles, operating as a dedicated medical facility, operating as a dedicated mental health facility and holding people in protective custody.

These designations come from the 2019 census, so treat them as the facility's established role rather than a current service list.

Before you travel or send anything

Whatever a directory tells you — including this one — confirm the detail that matters to you with the operating agency before acting on it. Facility names, operators, designations and even addresses change, sometimes years before public records catch up, and the cost of acting on a stale entry is a wasted journey, a returned parcel or a deposit sent to the wrong account. A single phone call the morning you travel is worth more than any amount of research the week before.

If a search for someone returns nothing at all, work through the possibilities in order before assuming the worst. They may be held by a different authority than the one you are searching — a county sheriff rather than a state department, or the reverse. They may be in transit between facilities and temporarily unlisted. The name on the record may differ from the one you use, particularly where a middle name, a suffix or a hyphenated surname is involved. Or the record may simply not have updated yet, which is common in the first day or two after an arrest or a move. An empty result is far more often a search problem than a sign that something has gone wrong.

Your first steps if a loved one is booked into OJC

If someone you love has just been booked into OJC, focus first on the essentials: confirm booking through the OPSO automated inquiry at (504) 827-6777, contact a defense attorney or the Orleans Public Defenders if bond is set and needs to be posted, set up a Securus AdvanceConnect account and register your phone number, fund an initial deposit for canteen basics through the current OPSO deposit vendor, and mail to 3000 Perdido Street with the folder number. If your loved one is released or transferred after conviction, our guides on life after prison, finding work after prison, and applying for SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF after release cover what comes next.