The New York Times reports that dozens of individuals in prison have died who were approved for parole or not convicted. The deaths raise troubling questions about the way the country’s justice system responded to a pandemic that infected incarcerated people at more than three times the national rate. Defense attorneys, judges and some prosecutors have [...]
The Brennan Center for Justice highlights how the COVID pandemic has impacted jails – and that according to analysis by The Marshall Project and the Associated Press, more than 100,000 people have been released from state and federal prisons which is an 8% decrease in the national prison population since the pandemic started. The [...]
People For the American Way reports that Sixth Circuit judge Amul Thapar, appointed by President Trump, cast the deciding vote to affirm the dismissal of a prisoner’s complaint that prison officials disregarded orders from Governor Whitmer and were deliberately indifferent to the extreme risk of contracting COVID-19 due to prison conditions. The article details [...]
The Detroit Free Press reports that Michigan's Attorney General has taken action against at least 50 prisoners to reimburse cost of care, as allowed under Michigan law. Many of these actions appear to be triggered by prisoners receiving federal government stimulus checks. One prisoner, Phil Brown, noted, "The amount of money that they're going [...]
In an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus in federal prisons, last year the US Justice Department let more than 23,800 inmates serve their sentences at home. But as more people are vaccinated, thousands of these inmates may be sent back to prison to serve the remainder of their sentences, thanks to [...]
After a year of no in-person connection because of the coronavirus pandemic, Michigan prisoners and their loved ones will be allowed to resume visits later this month. But the process will look different as the Michigan Department of Corrections implements precautions to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Read more: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/03/12/michigan-prison-visits-reusme-coronavirus-covid/4663360001/
A growing number of pregnant individuals are being sentenced to serve time in prison. Advocates met as a panel discussion focused on the need to significantly change life for pregnant people in prison. Read more: https://www.michiganadvance.com/2021/03/03/reforms-needed-for-pregnant-people-in-prison-advocates-say/
A Michigan hospital and state corrections facility are among the workplaces cited by the state for coronavirus-related safety violations. Violations and fines were issued by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a result of inspections that turned up inadequate safety measures and failures to protect workers. Read more: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/02/26/mdoc-mclaren-among-employers-cited-covid-19-violations/6840826002/ [...]
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her administration will announce the further loosening of restrictions across Michigan. Currently a state health department order limits indoor restaurant capacity to 25%, imposes a 10 p.m. curfew and restricts the size of inside residential gatherings to no more than 10 people from two households, through March 29. Read more: https://www.dailypress.net/news/local-news/2021/02/whitmer-plans-to-ease-restrictions/ [...]
The Guardian reports that the question of when, "2.3 million incarcerated Americans will receive the vaccine depends largely on where they are detained." Many vaccination plans have been in flux over the last few months because of politics - who gets vaccinated and when. Unfortunately this means many prisoners risk dying in prison. One [...]
