Demand Incarcerated People Are Protected During COVID-19 Crisis

 

Voices for Racial Justice is happy to learn that the Ombuds for Corrections, Mark Haase along with Governor Walz, are calling for the reduction of Minnesota's prison population to slow the spread of COVID-19 given the lack of internal infrastructure to manage an outbreak. We know the state of Minnesota has its first confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the Department Of Corrections (DOC), which puts the entire DOC, including incarcerated communities at risk.

On March 31st, Mark Haase released a list of recommendations with clear asks for the DOC to act on. We know that these recommendations are an important first step and fully support them.

In addition, we uplift the following demands developed by currently and formerly incarcerated people, as well as by families with incarcerated loved ones. 

 

Please support our demands for DOC Commissioner Schnell:

1. Limit the number of incoming people into the DOC facilities. 

2. Allow early supervised release of incarcerated people including those with technical violations and people with compromised immune systems immediately. 

3. Work with grassroots community voices and organizations to keep the voices of those impacted central  in developing solutions to re-entry under the pandemic.

4. Utilize all housing options for those on early release with priority given to private residences to avoid the overcrowding in our state's halfway houses and work release houses.

5. Make information public regarding who is coming home in advance during the pandemic so their support systems can be better prepared to receive them.

 

Please support our demands for Governor Walz and the MN Legislature: 

1. Offer emergency funds to support re-entry for people being released so that they can get the resources they need  to safely practice physical distancing.

2. Pass immediate legislation that decreases the prison population in MN.  

 

We know that meeting these stated demands will require the efforts of many leaders in government and in the community working together to ensure safe early release. Our moral responsibility in this moment is to protect the lives of incarcerated people. When we look back, we will want to know that we did everything in our power to protect and advocate for our communities on the inside.

 

Join Voices for Racial Justice and community in taking a stance today!

 

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