• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Science
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Tech
About 20% of N.J. Prisoners Could Be Freed to Avoid Virus

About 20% of N.J. Prisoners Could Be Freed to Avoid Virus

July 30, 2020
Study suggests strong link between obesity and COVID death rate

Study suggests strong link between obesity and COVID death rate

March 4, 2021
Scaling up employee ownership is key to an equitable economic recovery

Scaling up employee ownership is key to an equitable economic recovery

March 4, 2021
Police obtain search warrant for ‘black box’ data in Tiger Woods’ SUV

Police obtain search warrant for ‘black box’ data in Tiger Woods’ SUV

March 4, 2021
How TytoCare uses AI to improve diagnostic care

How TytoCare uses AI to improve diagnostic care

March 4, 2021
Aries & Gemini Zodiac Sign Compatibility, According To Astrologers

Aries & Gemini Zodiac Sign Compatibility, According To Astrologers

March 4, 2021
How Home Bakers Have Found Sweet Success During the Pandemic

How Home Bakers Have Found Sweet Success During the Pandemic

March 4, 2021
The Latest Case of Vaccine Alarmism

The Latest Case of Vaccine Alarmism

March 4, 2021
Skydio drones reportedly owned by more than 20 US police agencies

Skydio drones reportedly owned by more than 20 US police agencies

March 4, 2021
Trump made Twitter the White House’s spiked-ball cudgel. Ron Klain wants to change that.

Trump made Twitter the White House’s spiked-ball cudgel. Ron Klain wants to change that.

March 4, 2021
CPAC 2021: A school for indoctrinating and radicalizing right-wing extremists

CPAC 2021: A school for indoctrinating and radicalizing right-wing extremists

March 4, 2021
Protesters, undaunted by killings, march again

Protesters, undaunted by killings, march again

March 4, 2021
How Leaders Can Reimagine a More Inclusive Workplace After Covid-19

How Leaders Can Reimagine a More Inclusive Workplace After Covid-19

March 4, 2021
DNYUZ
  • Home
  • News
    • U.S.
    • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Culture
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Television
    • Theater
    • Gaming
    • Sports
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Autos
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
DNYUZ
No Result
View All Result
Home News

About 20% of N.J. Prisoners Could Be Freed to Avoid Virus

July 30, 2020
in News
About 20% of N.J. Prisoners Could Be Freed to Avoid Virus
5.3k
SHARES
15.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

New Jersey lawmakers seemed close to supporting legislation on Thursday that could free more than 3,000 prisoners — about 20 percent of the state’s prison population — months before their release dates in response to the extraordinary threat posed by the coronavirus in tightly packed correctional facilities.

Inmates who are within a year of completing their state prison sentences would be eligible to be released up to eight months early based on credits awarded for time served during the pandemic.

The bill, which the American Civil Liberties Union believes to be the first legislative initiative of its kind in the United States, would not permit the release of most sex offenders, but would apply to inmates sentenced for other violent crimes, including murder.

“There are people who were sentenced to long prison terms, but they weren’t sentenced to die in prison,” said Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey, one of the groups urging passage of the legislation.

The proposal comes amid nationwide efforts to reduce state and federal prison populations to protect inmates and employees from the virus, which continues to spread rapidly through some prisons. The five largest known clusters of the virus in the United States are now linked to correctional facilities.

New Jersey’s prison death rate is the highest in the nation, according to data collected by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press.

In California, the governor ordered the release of up to 8,000 nonviolent offenders by the end of August. Connecticut’s prison population has dropped by 16 percent since March to the lowest levels in 29 years, in part because of coronavirus releases.

New Jersey has already released 338 at-risk inmates early from its prison system under an April executive order and freed nearly 700 people from its county jails after a legal challenge. But those releases have occurred largely on a case-by-case basis and did not involve legislative action.

Rory Price Jr., a 39-year-old inmate who was serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for drug and weapons convictions, was weeks away from being released from a prison halfway house when he developed a deep cough that sapped the color from his face.

“He was, like, gray,” said Art Devlin, 55, who shared a dormitory room with Mr. Price for a year at the house in Bridgeton, N.J. “He started with the coughing, the hacking. I told them, ‘This guy’s sick.’”

But Mr. Price continued to work in the kitchen, sleep in a 12-man dormitory and dream of the party his family was planning when he was freed in May, Mr. Devlin said.

He never got home. Mr. Price died May 1 of the coronavirus in a Vineland, N.J., hospital 21 days before his release date.

“It has been a living nightmare,” said his mother, Bernice Ferguson, 54. “He was doing his time. He did not go there for a death sentence.”

At least 48 other prison inmates in New Jersey have died from the virus.

If approved, the bill could free more than 3,000 inmates — about one-fifth of the 16,704 people serving state criminal sentences in New Jersey.

The bill earned unanimous bipartisan support during a Senate committee hearing, and has won backing from key lawmakers, leaving supporters hopeful it will be approved on Thursday.

“It goes beyond party politics,” Mr. Sinha said. “Wanting to see people survive is not partisan. This is a clear matter of public health.”

A spokesman for Gov. Philip D. Murphy would not comment on whether he would sign the bill if it passes, noting that key details were still being negotiated. A spokesman for the state attorney general, Gurbir S. Grewal, who oversees the state police and county prosecutors, also said he would not comment on pending legislation.

Senator Gerald Cardinale, a Republican who represents parts of Bergen and Passaic Counties and describes himself as a law-and-order conservative, said his support for the legislation stemmed from “basic, simple justice.”

He said the state Department of Corrections had failed to keep inmates in its custody safe.

“We are not doing very well at all in terms of protecting people,” said Mr. Cardinale, who voted to approve the bill in a Senate committee. “They’re prisoners, but they are human beings.”

Since March, 2,892 inmates — about 17 percent of the population — and 781 employees have tested positive for the virus at New Jersey correctional facilities. In addition to the 49 inmates who have died, several employee deaths have been linked to Covid-19.

At one point since March, there were 800 active cases of Covid-19 in state correctional facilities. Prisons have since successfully slowed the spread. The state has begun its second phase of universal testing, and there are now fewer than 30 coronavirus cases linked to state correctional facilities, according to the commissioner of the Department of Corrections, Marcus O. Hicks.

Still, employees continue to pose a risk of importing new cases of the virus, and social distancing in crowded facilities remains virtually impossible.

Scott Clements said he feared that his brother Brian, who has diabetes and heart disease and will be 59 next week, may not make it until his February release date.

Brian Clements is serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence at South Woods State Prison for his role in a fatal car accident, but does not fall into any of the four categories eligible to apply for release under the governor’s April executive order. The order permits inmates who have designated high-risk health conditions, are older than 60, are within three months of the end of their sentences or have been denied parole in the last year to seek release.

“If he was to contract the virus, it’s going to be as close to a death sentence as anyone could imagine,” said Scott Clements, 48. “I want to bring my brother home in my Toyota Camry, not in a hearse.”

Nicole D. Porter, the director of advocacy for the Sentencing Project, a national nonprofit that advocates for sentencing reform and the elimination of racial disparities in the criminal justice system, said that while the proposal is a step it the right direction, it is still not enough.

“What the United States has done pales in comparison to other countries,” she said, citing the release of 85,000 prisoners in Iran and 30,000 in Indonesia.

“Every day is urgent for somebody in prison,’’ Ms. Porter said. “It’s just now the entire world is going through an urgent experience together.”

A Republican who voted against the bill in an Assembly committee, Christopher P. DePhillips, said he was sympathetic to the significant challenges facing prisoners in the middle of a pandemic.

But, Mr. DePhillips said, he was concerned about allowing the early release of violent offenders, and would have preferred for the Legislature to have had a role in devising ways to keep inmates safe — before being asked to free them. He said he was waiting to see if the bill is amended before Thursday’s vote before he makes a final decision about whether or not to support it.

Mr. Devlin, however, said it was impossible to remain apart in the prison housing units, where masks were not regularly worn. Officials from the halfway house, run by the Kintock Group, did not return calls.

“I was scared for my life — absolutely scared for my life,” said Mr. Devlin, who completed his sentence in late May but still worries about those left behind. “Now I’m scared for their lives.”

The post About 20% of N.J. Prisoners Could Be Freed to Avoid Virus appeared first on New York Times.

Share2125Tweet1328Share

Trending Posts

Biden criticizes Texas and Mississippi for lifting Covid-19 restrictions despite pleas from health experts

GOP Sen. Ron Johnson is planning days of stunts that threaten to turn debate over the package into a made-for-conservative-cable-TV farce.

March 4, 2021
Vehicle deaths up in 2020, despite fewer people on roads amid pandemic, NSC says

Vehicle deaths up in 2020, despite fewer people on roads amid pandemic, NSC says

March 4, 2021
ITV Orders ‘The Masked Dancer’ Following The Success Of ‘The Masked Singer’

ITV Orders ‘The Masked Dancer’ Following The Success Of ‘The Masked Singer’

March 4, 2021
When West Ham challenged for the title – after being tipped for relegation

When West Ham challenged for the title – after being tipped for relegation

March 4, 2021
QAnon Followers Fixate on ‘D.C.’ Missing From Washington Maps

QAnon Followers Fixate on ‘D.C.’ Missing From Washington Maps

March 4, 2021

Copyright © 2020.

Site Navigation

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • U.S.
    • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Culture
    • Gaming
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Sports
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Autos
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel

Copyright © 2020.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT