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Dear friend,
There are now 8,600 new COVID-19 cases in state and federal prisons 1 -- we must act NOW to save as many lives as possible.
In places like Chicago, jails went from two diagnosed cases to 101 incarcerated people and a dozen employees have tested positive for the virus in just one week.2 In Louisiana, Black people account for 70 percent of all the state's coronavirus deaths even though they only make up 32 percent of the state's population.3 And Black people make up more than half of the prison population where at least 28 incarcerated people and 22 correctional staff have tested positive for COVID-19.4 If we leave it up to the local government, more Black people will be neglected. This is already happening in Louisiana, where COVID-19 positive incarcerated people including those being held pre-trial are being transferred to Angola, a former plantation -- leaving people with no medical care, no hospitals, and no access to lawyers.5
And Black women are particularly vulnerable. The COVID-19 outbreak is exacerbating a pre-existing healthcare crisis in this country that has always carelessly or intentionally excluded Black women. Health conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, high blood pressure, or cancer, which we know affect Black women at disproportionate rates.6 Public health officials have repeatedly warned that the only way to flatten the curve and to save countless lives is to immediately release incarcerated people especially those with underlying health conditions. The time for action is now.
Governors in every single state have the power to grant mass release to thousands by using their executive clemency powers--yet hundreds of applications are piling up on governors' desks, sitting ignored. That must end. That's why in partnership with the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, we are calling on governors to exercise their clemency power during the COVID-19 outbreak and release as many people as possible.
Prison is the worst place a person could be during the COVID-19 outbreak. And conditions in prison and jails across the country are growing worse each day. People trapped in these facilities are subject to overcrowding and poor sanitation -- making social distancing practically impossible. Many incarcerated people are already elderly, and suffering from underlying health conditions which makes them especially vulnerable to contracting this deadly virus. Worst of all, most jails are not equipped to make the changes needed to keep people safe. Cleaning supplies are classified as contraband and hand sanitizer is widely banned. Incarcerated people are being served food on dirty trays by people who are not wearing masks, increasing the risk of contamination. More importantly, people who work in these facilities cycle in and out of jails and prisons and go home to their families increasing the potential spread of the virus.
Governors could prevent thousands of incarcerated people from being exposed to this deadly virus. There are nearly 2.3 million people incarcerated in federal, state and local prisons and correctional facilities across the country, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons only houses 175,000 people.7 This leaves governors with an enormous power to reduce the overall risk of those exposed to COVID-19 by granting clemency.
Yet, both Democratic and Republican governors alike have been slow to act in this crisis. Clemency is a power so few governors actually use; many go decades in office and only commute the sentences of a handful of incarcerated people at best. Dear friend, now is our chance to push governors to understand the thousands of lives that could be saved if they respond to this emergency with urgency by exercising their clemency power.
Mass incarceration is the pandemic. Now more than ever should be the time we push towards a future where all of our people are free. No one should be subject to fighting this unprecedented public health risk from inside a cage. The people trapped in these jails and prisons are members of our community. We deserve to live our lives free of perpetual punishment. We deserve to be treated with dignity and to have access to the care we need during this unprecedented public health crisis.
If governors do nothing, our communities are at escalated risk of contracting COVID-19. And not releasing people inside prisons will have a detrimental impact on people outside of prisons. Our communities are most at risk and yet there has been no statement outlining the direct actions and protections being provided for the people who are incarcerated. We can’t afford to lose some of the most vulnerable members of our communities to this deadly disease because governors are failing to act on their clemency power.
Until justice is real,
Clarise, Rashad, Arisha, Scott, Erika, Malachi, Marybeth, Madison, Leonard, and the rest of the Color of Change team.
References :
- "We’ll see many more covid-19 deaths in prisons if Barr and Congress don’t act now." Washington Post. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/244492?t=9&akid=41956%2E1942551%2EdDZaH8
- "‘Jails Are Petri Dishes’ : Inmates Freed as the Virus Spreads Behind Bars." The New York Times. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/243164?t=11&akid=41956%2E1942551%2EdDZaH8
- "Louisiana's Coronavirus Plan for Prisons Could Create Death Camps." The Intercept. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/244493?t=13&akid=41956%2E1942551%2EdDZaH8
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- "When the Country Sneezes, Black Women Catch the Flu. What Happens With COVID-19 in the United States ?" Rewire News. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/244494?t=15&akid=41956%2E1942551%2EdDZaH8
- "Trump and governors can slow the spread of covid-19 in prisons and jails." The Washington Post. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/244495?t=17&akid=41956%2E1942551%2EdDZaH8
Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong.
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