Incarcerated individuals with disabilities also have the right to be protected from COVID-19! Overcrowding, unsanitary living conditions, insufficient testing/treatment, and a lack of access to reasonable accommodations all contribute to the continued spread of Coronavirus cases in jails/prisons. Philip Fornaci, a staff attorney at the National Disability Rights Network, is joined in this video by Talib Shakir, a formerly incarcerated individual. Check out their message for ways to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in jails, prisons, and detention centers across the country.
How You Can Support People with Disabilities in Jails and Prisons
Find the Protection & Advocacy organization in your state.
There is a P&A/CAP agency in every state and U.S. territory as well as one serving the Native American population in the four corners region. You can find out what legal or non-legal advocacy steps people in your state or territory are taking on behalf of prisoners and detained youth.
Check out the Prison Policy Initiative’s Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic page.
This page contains lawsuits filed to release prisoners and improve prison policies, updated information about releases of prisoners/detainees, changes in policy around medical co-pays for prisoners and revised policies for access to telephones/visitation for prisoners.
Amplify The Justice Collaborative’s COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Response & Resources page.
This page covers the impact of COVID-19 on America’s criminal legal and immigrant detention systems. This resource includes:
- Information on policy changes in each state around COVID-19
- Fact Sheets about COVID-19 and correctional facilities, under “Resources“
- Sample Letters you can send to public officials, under “Taking Action”
- Find out what other people are doing about the crisis in prisons, jails, and detention centers, under “Demands Across the Country”
Explore COVID-19 Behind Bars.
This is an independent journalism project tracking cases of coronavirus in jails, prisons, detention centers, and other correctional facilities in the United States. COVID-19 Behind Bars also collects international news reports and potential cases reported on by people inside prisons.
Circulate these Resources for Correctional Institutions Regarding COVID-19 from the Urban Institute.
The Urban Institute has created a list of resources for government leaders and advocates in hopes of curbing the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic in jails, prisons and detention centers.
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