Considering all we know about COVID-19, it’s incredibly obvious that the conditions in American prisons aren’t exactly the best for mitigating the spread of the virus. To address this clear problem, New Jersey has released over 2,200 incarcerated people under a recently passed law.
Those incarcerated for murder, sexual assault, or who have been deemed to be a repetitive sex offender will not be eligible for release under the new law.
“Since March, the population in State correctional facilities has decreased by nearly 3,000 people (16 percent), including more than 1,200 people who were released under Executive Order 124. This dramatic reduction has allowed for critical social distancing as part of the fight against COVID-19,” said Gov. Phil Murphy in a press release.
So far, 52 people have died from COVID-19 while incarcerated in New Jersey prisons. According to data from the NJDOC, more than 3,000 inmates and over 1,000 Corrections employees have already been infected with the virus.
“The spread of COVID-19 in New Jersey’s prisons, and our highest-in-the-nation death rate, has been a matter of public health, a matter of racial justice, and a matter of life and death,” Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey, told CNN in a statement.
Source: New Jersey Releases More Than 2,200 Incarcerated People Under New Public Health Law
