take action now!
John,
We have been living through this pandemic for two years, and despite what many elected officials want us to believe, it's far from over. For those in prison, the burden and dangers of COVID-19 have no end in sight.
Not only is social distancing inside prisons next to impossible, but people who are incarcerated are also at greater risk of serious complications or death from the virus because of health issues caused and exacerbated by conditions and lack of access to healthcare and services inside prisons.
In fact, John, three women have died from COVID-19 at Alderson Federal Prison this year already.1 That's 15 people total COVID-19 related deaths while trapped in federally funded cages in 2022 alone!2
Rebecca “Maria” Adams, Juanita Haynes, and Bree Eberbaugh had requested compassionate releases because of preexisting medical conditions that made them more vulnerable to death or complications from COVID-19. And although these medical conditions were exacerbated by poor medical treatment inside of prison, both Maria and Bree’s releases were denied. Juanita's was granted too late. She was released while intubated and died 4 days later in a hospital bed.3
Because of untrustworthy reporting from the Bureau of Prisons,4 the only way for us to truly understand the extent of this crisis is through desperate and heartbreaking emails, similar to the graphic above, from women incarcerated in federal prisons.
John, no one deserves to live in a cage or die in chains. COVID-19 in prisons is a death sentence. Join us to demand the Bureau of Prisons release all medically vulnerable people from prisons immediately.
Send a letter: demand medically vulnerable people are released!
John, Rebecca, Juanita, and Bree’s deaths were preventable. The Bureau of Prisons has the power and resources to grant compassionate releases AND to release medically vulnerable people to finish their sentences on home confinement.
And as of early March, BOP officials say there have been 287 COVID-19 related deaths in federal facilities since the beginning of the pandemic. And, John, this number doesn’t even include deaths in privately managed prisons.5
Out of all those who have died from COVID-19 in federal prisons nearly all were elderly or had a medical condition. Many of them had tried to gain release to protect themselves from the pandemic but were either denied or succumbed to the virus while waiting through the slow process.6
In fact, only about 5 percent of the people in federal prison have been granted release to home confinement since the beginning of the pandemic,1 and only 36 compassionate release requests were granted between March 2020 and June 2021.7
These horrific deplorably low release numbers are despite data that further proves people will always have a better chance of thriving and surviving when around family and community.8
covid in prisons is a death sentence. we must release people now!
John, if we’re going to keep people safe during the pandemic, and make any sort of meaningful impact towards undoing the harm of years of racialized mass incarceration, we must demand the BOP uses the tools at their disposal to release people immediately.
We can’t sit and wait while people’s lives are at stake.
people belong at home, not in cages
Until Justice is Real,
Color Of Change Criminal Justice and Democracy Team
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References:
1.https://act.colorofchange.org/go/350021?t=9&akid=53094%2E4731121%2EYHPash
2. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/350022?t=11&akid=53094%2E4731121%2EYHPash
3. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/350021?t=13&akid=53094%2E4731121%2EYHPash
4. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/345796?t=15&akid=53094%2E4731121%2EYHPash
5. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/350023?t=17&akid=53094%2E4731121%2EYHPash
6. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/350023?t=19&akid=53094%2E4731121%2EYHPash
7. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/345796?t=21&akid=53094%2E4731121%2EYHPash
8. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/350024?t=23&akid=53094%2E4731121%2EYHPash
