New Orleans, while celebrating the Super Bowl, grapples with a harsh reality as it holds the highest incarceration rate in the U.S. The city faces significant crime and health crises, exacerbated by poverty and a struggling prison system. With a stark contrast between the festivities and the grim conditions surrounding its neighborhoods, issues like homelessness and mass incarceration persist. Despite slight improvements in crime rates, systemic problems remain deeply entrenched, overshadowing the Super Bowl’s glitzy allure.
Beyond the glimmering spectacle of the Super Bowl lies a stark reality: New Orleans is notorious for being one of the most perilous cities in the United States. While the NFL championship captivates millions, the hard truth is that Louisiana boasts the highest incarceration rate globally.
At a local gas station that doubles as a mini-market and cell phone repair shop, customers rely on food stamps for their purchases. However, the most common items sold behind a Plexiglas barrier are alcoholic beverages. Patrons rummage through their pockets for crumpled dollar bills, as food stamps cannot be used for beer, liquor, or cigarettes in the United States. Outside, a man with a prosthetic leg and few teeth calls out for spare change, while another prepares drugs nearby.
A mere 30-minute stroll from the Caesars Superdome—set to host the grand NFL showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles—reveals a very different side of New Orleans. Here, the imposing prison and a grand neoclassical courthouse stand ominously close together. Most passersby drive quickly past, avoiding this gritty and violent reality where jazz clubs and oyster restaurants are nowhere to be seen.
The Murder Capital of America
This city, with its population of about 380,000, has earned the grim title of ‘murder capital.’ Since 1993, New Orleans has consistently recorded the highest murder rates among major U.S. cities, peaking in 1994 with a staggering 424 homicides. That year saw an alarming rate of 86 murders per 100,000 residents, the highest ever recorded in any American city. For context, Berlin’s murder rate in 2022 was just 1.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.
In 2022 alone, 265 murders were reported in New Orleans, while the police force is operating at a historic low. However, there is a glimmer of hope, as recent statistics suggest a 48 percent reduction in murders by 2024 compared to the previous two years. The city even made headlines last September when there were 18 consecutive days without a single homicide.
Despite these improvements, the area surrounding the prison near the Super Bowl venue feels little different. The Caesars Superdome remains in the spotlight, particularly as the city has initiated a campaign under Republican Governor Jeff Landry to clear out the numerous homeless encampments nearby. Armed National Guards now patrol the vicinity, while important-looking figures with ID badges mingle with intoxicated fans. Tent cities that once sprawled near the highway bridges no longer exist.
Head 30 minutes north, away from the tourist hotspots, and the situation is bleak. A group loiters on the steps of an abandoned building, dismissing inquiries from the press. Many there struggle to articulate their thoughts, likely due to long histories of substance abuse. The Super Bowl feels like a distant fantasy in this part of town.
Mass Incarceration and Global Rankings
A prison transport vehicle rushes past the gas station where patrons use food stamps. In July, the number of inmates reached 1,474, exceeding the city’s set limit of 1,250 meant to ensure their safety.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana’s prison systems have seen increasing privatization, showcasing how the profit-driven prison industry aligns with mass incarceration. The prevailing attitude seems to be: hide the city’s problems behind bars—out of sight, out of mind for residents and even Super Bowl visitors.
The non-profit organization ‘Prison Policy Initiative’ states, ‘The high incarceration rates in the USA are not a rational response to high crime rates. Instead, they are the result of racist measures and politically expedient reactions to public fears regarding crime and violence.’
When discussing incarceration rates, Louisiana stands out with the highest prison population among all 50 states, and New Orleans leads in Louisiana’s stats. With a staggering rate of 1,067 per 100,000 residents, Louisiana imprisons a higher percentage of its population than any other country globally, aside from El Salvador. This figure is around 1,000 more per 100,000 than in Germany.
Health Crisis Amidst the Super Bowl Glamour
The privatized prison system operates in stark contrast to the glitzy Super Bowl festivities just a few kilometers away. Alarmingly, nearly half of Louisiana’s inmates have yet to be convicted of a crime, meaning they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Pre-trial detentions predominantly affect marginalized groups, including Black individuals, low-income citizens, those with mental and physical health issues, and the homeless. The office of Democratic Mayor LaToya Cantrell has not responded to multiple inquiries regarding the dire conditions in prisons, homelessness, and crime rates.
Despite the establishment of two new hospitals in the last decade, conditions surrounding the prison and courthouse remain dire. The old Charity Hospital, devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, has remained abandoned and decaying, only a short distance away. The evacuation of patients during the flood made national headlines; now, an old padlock hangs on its entrance while a security guard idly watches from a rundown vehicle.
This area also highlights significant health issues that starkly contrast with the Super Bowl’s glamorous atmosphere. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortions are completely banned in Louisiana, further exacerbating the public health crisis.
Contrasting Realities in the City of Super Bowl
Not far from Tulane Avenue and Broad Street is the NO/AIDS Taskforce, one of the oldest HIV support organizations along the southern Gulf Coast, founded in 1983. This organization exemplifies the urgent need for support and resources amid the city’s stark contrasts, where the glitzy allure of the Super Bowl coexists with pressing social issues and public health crises.