Protect our incarcerated population from a coronavirus outbreak
Sarah Gersten • March 16, 2020
Our founder, Steve DeAngelo, outlines steps that correctional institutions should be taking to protect our nation's incarcerated population from Covid-19. Mass incarceration has left prisons and jails highly susceptible to an outbreak given overcrowding, lack of resources, and little access to medical care. To address this situation public officials need to take steps to reduce overcrowding and ensure access to medical care including:
- Identifying people who are scheduled to be released from prison or jail in the next six months and release them into home confinement.
- Parole prisoners over the age of 65, with priority given to those who have underlying health conditions that make them particularly susceptible to the virus.
- Individuals who have successfully completed at least three years of supervision should be transferred to administrative supervision or have their supervision terminated altogether.
- Suspend copays for medical visits made by incarcerated persons. It is cruel and unusual punishment to deny access to lifesaving medical care to incarcerated individuals simply because they can't afford it. This is particularly unjust when considering prisoners often work for less than a dollar a day, including those
- Correctional facilities across the country are implementing lockdowns and suspending visitation. We must ensure FREE access to smart visitations and phone calls for all incarcerated individuals.
- RELEASE ALL CANNABIS PRISONERS. No one incarcerated for a victimless cannabis offense should continue to be incarcerated today. Now is the time to free our cannabis prisoners and further reduce the risk of outbreaks in correctional facilities.
What can you do? Sign Reform Alliance's
In these trying times we must come together to protect our most vulnerable populations.
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