Jail Release: Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
Prisons and jails are amplifiers of infectious diseases such as the coronavirus, because social distancing is impossible inside and movement in and out of facilities is common. But criminal justice officials have the power to prevent coronavirus deaths.
Jails and prisons house large numbers of people with chronic diseases and complex medical needs who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
One of the best ways to protect these people is to reduce overcrowding in correctional facilities.
In Miami-Dade County jails, in Florida, the jail population has reportedly dropped from about 4,000 people before the pandemic to about 3,200 people -- about a 20% decrease in the average daily population. This reduction is the result of efforts by “lawyers and judges” & bail bondsman.
