NEW ORLEANS — Failures in finances, staffing, and jail security may have contributed to the escape of 10 inmates from the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office in May 2025, according to a state audit.

The evaluation of the sheriff's office operations from 2022 to 2025 began following a legislative request after the escape.

According to the audit, staff at the jail did not routinely conduct jail inspections and compliance checks as required. During the week of May 11 through May 17, the week of the escape, OPSP staff conducted inspections during 206 of the 322 required shifts and performed 2,700 security checks out of the required 9,072, documents say.

OPSO policy requires at least three inspections to be conducted per shift and documented on a form containing a checklist to note potential issues such as broken or missing equipment. Policy also requires security checks to be performed at least every 30 minutes in general population pods and at least every 15 minutes in special management pods to visually check each inmate to ensure they are physically present and documented on a security check form. 

The inspection form for Pod 1D, the pod the inmates escaped from, was not filled out for the day shift or the night shift on May 15, the day before the escape, or for the first shift on the morning of the escape.

In addition, auditors said that deputies with OPSO may have violated state law by being paid to work at OPSO during the same hours they were reported to be working an off-duty detail. Weak detail controls could contribute to staffing issues at the jail, since deputies who are scheduled to be at the jail may not be there.

While the inmate population increased by 46.6% from January 2022 through December 2025, the number of deputies, recruits, and CMTs assigned to the jail to monitor inmates only increased by 2.6%.