The 10 inmates who broke out of a New Orleans jail in a stunning overnight escape last week used electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

More than a decade before the recent New Orleans jailbreak, the city's lawless lockup went viral in a series of videos showing inmates chugging Budweiser, snorting drugs, gambling with handfuls of cash and ejecting bullets from a handgun.

When 10 inmates busted out of the Orleans Justice Center last week, the world was shocked. New Orleanians? Not so much. For those who live in the Louisiana city, the jail—and its accompanying dysfunction—is difficult to ignore.