Items

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  2020-04-13

  Preventing the Spread of Covid-19 in County Jails in Maricopa County

  This press release was written and published by MCSO (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office) to detail the steps and protocols put in place to keep employees, staff and inmates safe and healthy during the pandemic. It also outlines measures put in place for patrol units to keep them and the public safe during the pandemic.
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  2020-08-20

  California’s Prison Covid-19 Outbreak Isn’t Behind Its Firefighter Shortage

  California, one of the most fire prone states in the nation, still relies on prisoners as firefighters. With a particularly bad fire season and a viral pandemic still raging through the country they find themselves in a precarious situation. In an effort to slow the spread of the virus correctional facilities have been releasing some incarcerated persons early. In California over three hundred of their prison labor firefighters have been released since July. This article explains more of the details.
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  2020-08-14

  California Could Cut Its Prison Population by 50,000 People

  A news article discussing the potential release of thousands of prisoners to help relieve overcrowding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Large amounts of prisoners have been released in the past with no detriment to public safety. In a time when people are dying as a result of this overcrowding during a pandemic it would be incredibly beneficial to release these people. According to data, the issue seems to be one of political risk rather than of public safety.
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  2020-08-06

  Victims’ families outraged after California releases thousands of inmates early to slow spread of COVID-19

  As California releases more and more incarcerated people to slow the spread of Covid-19 in the prison population many victims advocates are worried and hurt. This news story covers one woman's reaction to the early release of the woman that murdered her brother when he was 23 years old.
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  2020-08-07

  Violent Offenders Should Be Considered for Early Release

  In this video Phil Melendez discussed the impact of Covid-19 on incarcerated persons and his belief that violent offenders should also be considered for early release to slow the spread of Covid and protect the inmate from receiving a defacto death sentence.
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  2020-05-04

  70% of Texas prisoners tested have the coronavirus. Experts say it's time for more testing and fewer inmates.

  Texas appears to have the worst outbreak of any state prisons across the nation and many relatives of incarcerated people believe the count is low. Inmates fear telling staff they don't feel well, infected and healthy people are taking showers together. As of the articles writing 1% of inmates across the state have been tested and 70% are infected with Covid. Many worry what effect this will have on the larger communities outside the correctional facilities.
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  2020-08-05

  I'm incarcerated at San Quentin prison for 55 years to life. I didn't think things could get worse until COVID-19.

  This article, written by a currently incarcerated man at San Quentin Prison in California, explains what it is like to be incarcerated during the Covid Pandemic and their lack of information. He asks if it is justice to leave people in prison during the pandemic, explains the stress and helplessness so many feel, talks about the racism that landed many of them in prison, and the very low recidivism rate of lifers.
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  2020-08-05

  Tweet about the lower prison population due to death from Covid-19

  This person Tweeted that they feel the prison population is the lowest it has been since the 1990s because of people dying while incarcerated from Covid-19.
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  2020-07-30

  The Fight for Second Chances

  As COVID-19 threatens the safety of inmates and staff in the Arizona Department of Corrections, families with incarcerated loved ones are pushing for the state to release some non-violent offenders early. So far, they have not swayed officials... but in November, voters will have a chnace to decide whether certain non-violent offenders should be able to earn time off their sentences. This story discusses the challenges of political activism amidst a pandemic.
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  2020-07-10

  Delay in obtaining prison records postpones Anderson release hearing

  This article reports on the case of a former Sonora doctor, Danny Anderson, who is an inmate at the California Institution for Men in Chino. Anderson's attorneys sought an early release for Anderson due to his autoimmune disease. Anderson previously had the virus and was cleared, but doctors do not know if there will be significant immune response to the virus to prevent a second infection. There have been delays to the release of the inmate. At the time of the article, there were 63 cases of COVID-19 within that prison. Many prisoners are being released around the state to relieve overcrowding, but it seems to be going at a slower pace than could really help alleviate the problem.
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  2020-07-16

  Covid shuffle in corrections facilities

  These images show the Tweet of Adnan Khan, a formerly incarcerated person and activist. Adnan explains that corrections facilities are moving people all over the prison and between facilities. The result is spread of the corona virus when the officials are charged with slowing the spread.
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  2020-04-02

  Inside Rikers During the Coronavirus Outbreak

  This video shows one families struggle to get early release for their loved one from Rikers Island jail in New York. His sister poses the ten million dollar question, does someone who committed a crime deserve to die? This is the possibility many inmates face in the time of coronavirus because the only way we currently know to slow the spread of the virus is through distance. Something that cannot be done when you're sleeping twelve inches away from another person.
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  2020-04-06

  04/06/2020 The Equinox Report

  An inmate at San Quentin prison in San Francisco, California, has been sending letters out to someone who is posting them on this blog. Today he explains a news story he saw on Democracy Now. The story says 16 states have begun releasing prisoners but New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, has resisted even with hundreds of inmates and facility employees testing positive.
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  2020-07-12

  California Releases Prisoners over Coronavirus Concerns

  California is traditionally understood to be a fairly liberal state, but there is an exceptionally vocal conservative minority that exists in the state. Since the coronavirus began, there has been a similar culture war around many of the issues that are reflected in other parts of the country; in many instances, people blame the governor directly for everything that is going wrong. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #california. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it highlights a popular conservative voice in the state that is sharing their opinions on best responses to the virus.
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  2020-06

  Tweets from Inside a Prison 6/14-6/20/2020 by Railroaded Underground

  These images show the Tweets of a prison inmate who chose to use a contraband cell phone to show the public what is happening inside of the nation's prisons during the coronavirus pandemic. This week he discusses defunding prisons, the ongoing brutality inside prisons, San Quentin, outbreaks from transfers, Juneteenth, taking action not just paying lip service to the holiday, black communities, and early release beginning with the elderly and others most at risk.
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  2020-05

  Tweets from Inside a Prison 5/3-5/9/2020 by Railroaded Underground

  These images are of the Twitter feed of an incarcerated person using a contraband cellphone to tell the world what is happening inside the prison during the covid pandemic. This week they discuss guards still not wearing masks but inmates are required to, retweeted about #dreamers and #carenotcages, the public beginning to recognize the humanity inside of prisons, empowerment, #clemancynow, the state of California disallowing inmate grievances to be filed, stagnation of the movement to release inmates early to slow the spread, and the fight for their rights.
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  2020-04

  Tweets from Inside a Prison 4/12-4/18/2020 by Railroaded Underground

  These tweets are from an incarcerated person using a contraband cell phone to let the world know about the conditions inside the prison. This week he is talking about choosing between a shower and exposure because their showers are communal with over fifty people. He also mentions the prison employee that brought him his meals and lead him around has tested positive and that the first inmate is positive and has been sent to solitary confinement for quarantine. He mentions a lack of soap, receiving fruit snacks with his lunch because they contain vitamin C, injustice, #clemancynow, and inmates at other facilities being retaliated against for speaking out.
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  2020-06-18

  Calls for Early Release in Florida Jails as COVID-19 Cases Grow

  Activists and prison reformers have been calling for inmates that do not pose a public safety risk and have either served most of their sentence, are elderly, or who are at high risk for covid complications due to pre-existing conditions to be released early. Advocates believe this not only helps the prisoners from contracting or even dying from covid but it also protects the larger community. While many jurisdictions/states have released inmates early Florida's governor has thus far refused.
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  2020-06-16

  Some inmates at California state prisons eligible for early release to stem coronavirus spread

  In an effort to slow the spread of covid-19 in prisons and jails across the country some inmates are being released early. The public has had mixed reactions to this plan. Some support the measure because they don't want inmates sentences to turn into a death sentence from the virus and others are concerned the inmates released early are potentially harmful to public safety. California has already released inmates early and plans to release more on July 1st. This article goes over some of the details.
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  2020-04-28

  7 Sex Offenders Released Early Due to COVID-19 in Orange County Despite Parole Violations

  In an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19 inside the nation's correctional facilities a small percentage of inmates have been released early or have been released to house arrest. The thought behind this action is to lessen the number of people inside the facilities allowing more space for social distancing and/or to not expose inmates to a possible death sentence if they were to contract covid and not recover. Though officials have promised not to free any inmate that poses a public safety risk stories like this one appear all over the country. This article states that seven sex offenders, who had served their original sentences but had returned to jail for parole violations, were released early from the Orange County Jail in California. The article was edited a day later to include a statement from the sheriff stating these individuals were not release early but were released by court order.
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  2020-06-15

  Gov. Brown asks for release of some prison inmates to slow virus spread

  One of the hardest hit populations with regards to covid-19 are corrections facilities. In an effort to slow the spread in the nations overcrowded facilities government officials have released some inmates early. The public has had mixed reactions to this policy. While the government officials are not releasing inmates that pose a danger to the public people are still worried. This article covers the story in Oregon and the comments add to the conversation.
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  2020-06-17

  California prisons to release up to 3,500 more inmates to prevent further spread of COVID-19

  California is planning to release more corrections inmates early on July 1st in an effort to slow the spread of the corona virus. While this is a step in the right direction advocates point out that this group of inmates does not include those with disabilities, medically fragile, or preexisting conditions. The article also highlights how the virus is spreading from on facility to another through prisoner transfer. While transferring prisoners to facilities with lower populations sounds good to aid in social distancing the people being transferred are actually spreading the virus into new facilities.
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  2020-03-29

  Texas Governor Signs Executive Order to Stop Early Release from Prisons/Jails Due to Covid

  In an effort to slow the spread of covid-19 inside of US prisons and jails some inmates have been release early or sent home, on house arrest. As discussions were happening across the country regarding this idea Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, signed an executive order to stop early release from the states correctional facilities.
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  2020-06-18

  The Prison Was Built to Hold 1,500 Inmates. It Had Over 2,000 Coronavirus Cases.

  The US prison population quickly found it was impossible to social distance to protect themselves from contracting the corona virus. This is due to prison architecture and overcrowding. This article talks to inmates at the Marion Correctional Facility in Marion, Ohio. This facility has been the site of the largest virus outbreak in the nation.
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  2020-04-24

  Arkansas prisoner gets compassionate release due to COVID-19 pandemic

  Since the covid pandemic reached the United States a discussion began relating to the nation's prison inmates. With the inability to protect oneself from the virus in a prison environment the question has become, should nonviolent and other inmates receive an early release to protect them from the possibility of dying from covid. This question has resulted in a deeper discussion regarding the humanity of inmates and if a prison sentence should be allowed to turn into a death sentence. This news story covers the early release of Felix Walls. ASU, HST580
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  2020-06-04

  Supreme Court blocks order to remove inmates at prison infected with COVID-19

  This article from NBC News covers the Supreme Courts ruling, blocking the release of 800 incarcerated persons from the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution, near Canton, Ohio.
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  2020-05-14

  Prison population remains stable during pandemic

  In response to the inability to social distance within prisons government and prison officials have considered releasing some inmates early to slow the spread of the virus but this article states that has not happened. It points to the officials fear of inmates released early committing a crime.
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  2020-05-29

  Are inmates attempting to infect themselves to gain early release?

  One response to the pandemic in the US has been to consider releasing some prison inmates early to quell the spread of the virus within the prison population. This is a valid strategy because social distancing in a prison is impossible. In this video it appears that inmates are all sharing a cup in an attempt to infect themselves. Is that what is actually happening? Are they doing this in hopes that they will be released?
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  2020-05-19

  Six of seven 'high-risk' sex offenders released early in California over coronavirus are back in jail

  Pandemic causes high risk criminals to be released early.