WBRZ - Baton Rouge

According to LSU law professor Lucy McGough, Melissa Poche could have been held longer while waiting to go before a judge but not appointing an attorney was a clear violation of Poche's rights.

Deputies arrested Poche last summer, but her charges were dropped soon after. A mistake in paper work kept her behind bars without a lawyer. She was released Wednesday after her family found her in the system.

According to the District Attorney's office, at least 101 people currently in East Baton Rouge Parish prison have been there the last six months without being formally charged. That could be for a host of legal reasons, but since there is no fail safe to determine if they're being held without charges, the DA's office is reviewing the charges, as of Thursday.

That's why for the past year they've been working to open up lines of communication between the court system and advocacy groups.