Here's what we can do about it.

Here's a hard truth, ACLU Supporter: We could lose as many as 200,000 people to COVID-19 – more than double the government's estimate – if we don't dramatically and immediately reduce the number of people in jails.

As the world's largest incarcerator, we face a unique challenge in combating COVID-19. That means that the estimated death toll U.S. officials have shared – largely based on data from other countries – grossly underestimates the impact this virus will have in the U.S.

That's why we teamed up with epidemiologists, mathematicians, and statisticians to get an accurate count of what the true toll would be in the country that has 21% of the world's incarcerated population.

Learn more about our study on how COVID-19 will spread in jails, and what steps we can take to save lives.
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We have the power to change this grim outcome, ACLU Supporter.

ACLU advocates have been pressuring governors, police, prosecutors and sheriffs to reduce their prison and jail populations, which has already resulted in 23 executive actions in 15 states. To date, this work has led to at least 17,000 fewer people in prisons and jails.

That's progress, but it's not nearly enough. We need to safely release tens of thousands of more people in order to save the lives of people in jails and prisons – and the broader community. In jails, as our report shows, we can do this by stopping arrests for all but the most serious offenses and ending practices like cash bail that prevent people from being released while they await their trial.

One more thing: COVID-19 has already taken the lives of so many people who are incarcerated or work in jails and prisons. But currently, there's no national database to help us memorialize the people who have passed away. So we're teaming up with the UCLA Prison Law and Policy Program to change that.

If you know of people who were incarcerated in jails or prisons and who have died from COVID-19, and would like to add a few words of remembrance, please take a look here. Help us make sure that the world never forgets the lives lost. <[link removed]>

(Please note: this link takes you to a third-party website, google.com. To add to the Google Sheet, click the top "view only" green button to request access.)

Thanks for your support,

Udi Ofer
ACLU Deputy National Political Director

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