A group of 20 legal aid and community groups are calling on the governor to reduce the state’s incarcerated population by 40% to limit the spread of COVID-19.
In a virtual news briefing and webinar, the Massachusetts Public Health Association said about 22% of the people in the state's prisons and jails have tested positive for COVID-19.
“Without substantial depopulation, decarceration in our prisons and jails, there are few to no opportunities for staying safe on the inside," said Carlene Pavlos, the executive director of the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance.
In a letter to the governor, MPHA laid out what they call a 10-point emergency plan including: have Gov. Baker grant clemency for incarcerated people medically vulnerable, and provide funding for support services after release.
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“The whole point of this effort is to avert a public health crisis. This is not decarceration for decarceration’s sake. These are people who have been sentenced to a term-limited sentence. Not to death," said Rahsaan Hall, director of the Racial Justice Program for the ACLU Massachusetts.
Late Tuesday a spokesperson from the Executive Office of Public Safety said they will review each case on its merits.
“In the past month alone, the parole board has issued more than 350 release permits […] and more than 1,150 inmates have been released from state and county facilities under the SJC’S framework.”
The state’s SJC ruled in April that pretrial detainees charged with non-violent crimes can seek release during the coronavirus outbreak.
Members of the coalition want to widen that net.
“The lack of PPEs, lack of social distancing, as we’ve already said, and Stacey Borden mentioned a six-by-nine cell," said Jasmin Borges from Families for Justice as Healing. "You’re not able to socially distance. Yes, release, release, release is what we must do at this stage.”
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