US Does Little To Protect Incarcerated People From COVID

Despite advocacy asking states to release incarcerated individuals  early, the US has released relatively few people in comparison with other countries.   Prisons and jails are not safe for the incarcerated or for staff.  Only a few days ago Governor Cuomo announced that pregnant women women would be released.  But the group of women to be released is narrow.  Only women with convictions for non-violent crimes will be released and only then if their remaining sentence is under six months. 

Release wouldn’t be as critical if jails and prisons were otherwise safe spaces.  But those inside report horrid conditions.  There is not effective or even enhanced sanitation.  Women who are suspected of having symptoms are often isolated in deplorable conditions.  At one prison, women were moved to a prion wing that had been closed in years.  The cells are filthy with walls  filled with mold. Others report a shortage of food, and and disinfecting supplies. No efforts are made at physical differences. 

Human Rights Watch issued a report.  While it is NY specific, the report is worth a read.  The frightening conditions described are prevalent in most jails and prisons across the country.