NEW ORLEANS, LA – Facing growing criticism over seven inmates still at large, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office is offering a compromise: come back voluntarily, and you can serve the rest of your sentence remotely via Zoom.
“We’re trying something innovative,” said Sheriff Susan Hutley. “If these gentlemen agree to stop running and start logging in, we’ll count it.”
Dubbed Remote Lockup, the program allows fugitives to serve time from home—so long as they wear orange, sit still for 23 hours a day, and keep a jail-themed Zoom background on at all times.
Inmates will be expected to attend virtual headcounts, nod meaningfully during roll call, and refrain from muting during lockdown announcements.
“We’re not saying it’s perfect,” Hutley admitted. “But it’s better than chasing them through the lower 9th Ward on foot.”
Deputies say the department is open to leniency—so long as the escapees return by Friday and agree to keep their cameras on.
