New Orleans Prisoners Abandoned to Floodwaters: “‘It was complete chaos,’ said a corrections officer with more than 30 years of service at Orleans Parish Prison. When asked what he thought happened to the inmates in Templeman III, he shook his head and said: ‘Ain’t no tellin’ what happened to those people.’

‘At best, the inmates were left to fend for themselves,’ said Carey. ‘At worst, some may have died.’

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Many of the men held at jail had been arrested for offenses like criminal trespass, public drunkenness or disorderly conduct. Many had not even been brought before a judge and charged, much less been convicted. “