ACLU of SC calls for release of inmates and detainees vulnerable to the coronavirus
As the coronavirus continues to spread across South Carolina, the state’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union called for the release of prisoners and jail detainees who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.
The ACLU of South Carolina sent letters to more than 400 officials and stakeholders Wednesday calling for the release of inmates and detainees with preexisting health conditions and seniors, including people with heart or lung disease, diabetes or immune system impairments.
People with those conditions have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as being more vulnerable.
“Public health experts recognize that there is a heightened risk of infection for people who are involved in the criminal justice system from policing, prosecution and pretrial hearings, to sentencing, confinement, and release,” said Shirene Hansotia, the ACLU of South Carolina’s criminal justice policy and legal counsel, in a statement. “Every aspect of the system must come under intense scrutiny for how it responds to this national public health crisis,” she added.
As of Tuesday afternoon, South Carolina had 47 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in 13 different counties. Most of the cases were centered in Kershaw County.
In the letter, officials with the ACLU asked S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster to commute the sentences of people vulnerable to COVID-19 whose prison terms would otherwise end in the next two years. They also called on the governor to commute the sentences of those who have had their parole revoked because of a violation that did not involve a crime.
ACLU officials also called on the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services to expedite parole opportunities for incarcerated offenders. They also called on the Department of Corrections to make sure state prisons are “as empty, safe, and clean as possible and that hygiene products are free and readily available to incarcerated people and staff.”
State prisons are already taking many precautions against the coronavirus, including ending visitation and providing hand sanitizer to staff and inmates, according to Corrections spokeswoman Chrysti Shain. The prison system’s phone vendor, GTL, is also providing two free phone calls per week to all inmates, she added.
The ACLU’s requests extended to police, judges and solicitors. Officials asked police to stop making arrests on minor offenses and consider utilizing citations or desk-tickets instead of arrests “so that people can return home, balancing the need for arrest with the overwhelming public safety concerns presented by coronavirus.”
Solicitors were asked to avoid asking a judge to require a potential offender to pay bail before being released if possible. Judges were asked to allow people with upcoming criminal cases and hearings the chance to waive that hearing or call into the hearing via phone or video chat.
