Citing New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams’s explanation for his office’s perceived shortcomings, WWL Radio’s Newell Normand gave Williams some limited kudos during his program Friday.
But Normand also cautioned the D.A. that he’s walking a dangerous line if, in fact, it is his personal philosophies on the criminal justice system, as some have suggested, and not simple missteps of his office that is to blame for the city’s spike in violent crime.
“You don’t force outcomes," Normand said. "For the D.A. at one time to say that he wants to reduce the jail population, that’s not your role. That’s not a role that the D.A. or a job that the D.A. undertakes. That’s an outcome. That’s an outcome that’s determined by the judge. You present the best case that you have with the best evidence available to you. The jury and/or the judge decides the guilt or innocence of that defendant, and the judge decides what the sentence is going to be. Not the D.A. Why would you be advocating for less? It doesn’t necessarily mean you need to advocate for more, but that’s someone else’s job.”
Normand said if Williams would indeed prefer to be a reformer than a champion for victims of crime, he may not be suited to the office he currently holds.
“If we’re going to have a stream of accountability, this is where the ideology and the philosophy runs up against all of this. If you’re going to be successful at your job, if almost definitely means more people are going to jail. And if you find that obnoxious, then get out of the business. Because that is the role that you play.”
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