Louisiana has the highest imprisonment rate in the nation—1,551 of every 100,000 residents are incarcerated. Prosecutors in Louisiana tend to be especially harsh, and in prosecutor’s offices there is often a focus on competing for convictions rather than ensuring justice. A death penalty conviction has typically been cause for disturbing celebration. According to the Huffington Post:

Prosecutors in Louisiana often threw parties after winning death sentences. They gave one another informal awards for murder convictions, including plaques with hypodermic needles bearing the names of the convicted. In Jefferson Parish, just outside of New Orleans, some wore neckties decorated with images of nooses or the Grim Reaper. [Orleans Parish Assistant District Attorney James] Williams kept a replica electric chair on his desk. "It was hooked up to a battery, so you'd get a little jolt when you touched it," recalls [one defense attorney]. In 1995, Williams posed with this mini-execution chair in Esquire magazine. On the chair's headboard, he had affixed the photos of the five men he had sent to death row[.] Of those five, two would later be exonerated and two more would have their sentences commuted.

2. Prosecutors kept an innocent man in jail for 30 years and then apologized with a $20 gift card.

Glenn Ford was convicted of murder in the early 1980s and was sentenced to death. A young guy named Marty Stroud prosecuted Ford. It was his first death penalty case and he wanted a win. He focused on Ford and barely followed any other leads. According to 60 Minutes:

Quickly, Stroud zeroed in on Glenn Ford. Ford had done yard work for [the victim] and was known to be a petty thief, and he admitted he had pawned some of the stolen jewelry. All that was enough to make him the primary suspect. Stroud knew a conviction would boost his career.

The problem, of course, is that Ford was innocent. Regardless, Ford ended up spending 30 years in solitary confinement, on death row, in Angola, known as one of the nation's most brutal prisons. When he was finally exonerated, the state gave him a $20 gift certificate.

He died from lung cancer within months of his release.

Stroud has expressed regret over his handling of the case, stating now that he was "arrogant, narcissistic, caught up in the culture of winning." When asked if that culture meant "win[ning] regardless of the facts," Stroud replied, "Looking back on it, yes."

But Cox has a problem with Stroud's regret and apologies. From 60 Minutes:

Dale Cox: I don't know what it is he's apologizing for. I think he's wrong in that the system did not fail Mr. Ford. Bill Whitaker: It did not? Dale Cox: It did not...in fact... Bill Whitaker: How can you say that? Dale Cox: Because he's not on death row. And that's how I can say it. Bill Whitaker: Getting out of prison after 30 years is justice? Dale Cox: Well, it's better than dying there and it's better than being executed.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Caddo Parish's district attorney's office has a history of corruption and scandal and a reputation for failing to play by the rules. Hugo Holland, one of the two prosecutors responsible for half of the state's death penalty convictions, has been accused of withholding exculpatory evidence in a capital case. He also lied to federal authorities in order to obtain automatic weapons for personal use.

3. Caddo Parish is racist racist racist.

The Caddo Parish criminal justice system indicates serious racial disparities in who is prosecuted, who is sentenced to death, and who serves on a jury. Cox, however, wants everyone to believe there is no racial bias in Caddo Parish, and has been quoted saying some particularly offensive things.

“People have played the race card in this country for so long, and at some point we really need to stop and say, ‘O.K., that was a long, long, long time ago. It’s different now.’” He said, “Yeah, a lot of terrible things have happened in the world everywhere. And in some places it gets better, like here. And in some places it doesn’t, like Africa or Kosovo.” [...] "I don't get this discrimination business, I really don't."

Cox may think there's no discrimination, but the numbers say otherwise. Until recently, Caddo Parish was predominately white. Yet, according to the New Yorker:

Seventy-seven per cent of those sentenced to death [in Caddo Parish] in the past forty years have been black, and nearly half were convicted of killing white victims. A white person has never been sentenced to death for killing a black person.

Racism isn't only apparent at the defendant's table, though— it's rampant in the jury selection process, as well. Prosecutors strike half of all potential black jurors, but only 15 percent of whites. Just last week, leaders at a local criminal justice center announced that they have investigated jury discrimination and will sue the DA's office. From the Louisiana Record:

Jim Craig, co-director of the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center, alleges that the district attorney in the First Judicial District of Louisiana picks and chooses members of the public to impanel criminal trial juries that are predominately white, a practice known as “blackstriking.” The investigation was based on data collected by Reprieve Australia, an Australian organization that provides legal and humanitarian assistance to those facing the death penalty. The organization collected data on Caddo Parish because it leads the nation in death sentences. The justice center then worked with law professors at Northwestern University in Chicago to analyze the data, which revealed that Caddo prosecutors excluded qualified black jurors three times more often than they excluded non-blacks – black potential jurors were excluded at a rate of 46 percent, while non-black potential jurors only at a rate of 15 percent. Reprieve Australia said in a press release that Caddo jurors with fewer than three African-Americans have never acquitted a defendant, which gives prosecuting attorneys incentive to “whitewash” juries.​

4. There are two very different candidates running for the office.

Dhu Thompson and James Stewart face off on Saturday for the District Attorney's seat. It's hard to tell how a District Attorney will act once in office, especially since there's so little accountability. But it's pretty clear that Dhu Thompson is more likely to follow the path set by Cox and Scott.

Thompson talks about diversion programs and has tamed down some of Cox's language regarding the death penalty. But the truth is that he was a district attorney in Cox's office for 10 years. He thrived in a setting tainted by racism and a near obsession with winning and the death penalty.

When asked about the stark racism in the Louisiana system, Thompson nervously punted the question, saying "While these measures may fall within the purview of our legislators, I would assist in improving our education/graduation rates, as these rates are directly tied to crime rates."

But as a prosecutor, Thompson had his own racist tendencies. In fact, Thompson was specifically mentioned as being discriminatory against black jurors. The study "showed that Thompson had the fourth highest rate among studied prosecutors for rejecting potential black jurors."

Thompson also doesn't seem to find Louisiana's rate of incarceration problematic. He's supported some diversion programs, but not as a response to mass incarceration. In fact, in expressing his support for private prisons, he said he doesn't believe that they "create unnecessary incarceration."

Thompson also has admitted that he is deeply mired in the system and has close relationships with police, judges, and other actors. He responded to a question about conflict of interest by stating, "I have worked with many of our area judges and law enforcement officers. I have also developed friendships with many of these individuals." Unsurprising, then, that the local police union has endorsed Thompson. He's also gotten donations from some of his old buddies. From KTBS:

Three of Caddo District Attorney candidate Dhu Thompson's supporters are current or former prosecutors who were part of a small group of lawyers inside the D.A.'s office who were linked to improperly obtained machine guns or who regularly engaged in activities normally done by police officers, not lawyers, court documents show. The attorneys, to varying degrees, equipped their vehicles with emergency lights and sirens, pulled motorists over, conducted surveillance work and accompanied police officers when warrants were served, according testimony in depositions. Campaign finance reports filed by Thompson show he received a $5,000 contribution from Hall and $500 from Holland, both former assistant district attorneys; and $1,500 from Brown.

Caddo Parish has been controlled by a ravenous and racist district attorney's office for decades. It's hard to imagine that Thompson wouldn't be more of the same.

So what about James Stewart?

Stewart stepped down from his role as judge to run for District Attorney, and certainly is more of an outsider to the office than Thompson. He's been critical of the office, writing an editorial in the Shreveport Times that expresses his discomfort.

[T]he current Caddo District Attorney’s office has earned a black eye as it aggressively and blindly pursues death penalty convictions, even in cases that don’t warrant it. A recently announced federal lawsuit is another example of how far the office has fallen. The systematic exclusion of a group of people from jury service by Dhu Thompson and others without valid legal reason but based only upon their race, offends the basic principles of justice and due process, and is shocking to any fair-minded person. My opponent, part time he may be, is a major part of this mess and cannot escape critical examination.

But Stewart is far from perfect. He’s not running on the idea of wider criminal justice reform, and his proposed platform is unacceptably insufficient. He doesn’t give details or provide information regarding programs, systematic changes, or goals. He doesn’t say specifically how he wants to change the worst prosecutor’s office in the country. In fact, Thompson has been far more explicit about programs and departments he wants to create. Many of his proposals are problematic, but he has at least been explicit.

Stewart does support the death penalty, although he calls for it to be used in much more limited instances.

Stewart also has been criticized for receiving campaign donations from George Soros through a PAC. Soros’ interest in the race has been helpful, of course, and his $850,000 donation has given Stewart a real opportunity to win this race.

If Stewart were to win, he would be the first black district attorney in Caddo Parish.

Neither candidate is perfect, but the choice is clear. It’s imperative that Stewart win this race over Thompson. He is the candidate with more experience, but he is also outside of the system. Stewart is currently the only opportunity Caddo Parish has to truly reform the system.

But a win is not enough. Interested residents, experts, and advocates must stay vigilant about ensuring prosecutorial accountability, regardless of who wins the race. The office has acted disgracefully, and their trigger-happy, racist prosecutions have resulted in injustice. Caddo Parish deserves more.