Coronavirus (COVID-19) is putting a lot of people at risk and the need to make changes to prevent spread cannot be overstated. Police are not excluded from this, and one action they must take means the difference between life and death.
The Black community is often the target of arrests. If police continue to go about business as usual, they may turn jails into incubators for COVID-19. While at a higher risk, the problem is even bigger than correctional facilities.
Per recommendations from the ACLU, authorities and prosecutors can stop low-level arrests, reduce requests for pre-trial detention, and avoid sentences that restrict a person’s access to medical help. These are just a few of the crucial steps that need to be taken, but there’s so much more that can be done.
Sentences need to be commuted for people who are scheduled to be released soon. Bail needs to be suspended. Jails need to release as many people as possible! Social distancing is one of the most important ways to stop the spread and these are ways to make that happen.
Sending people to jail for petty crimes to fill prisons should not be a priority. This is about stopping the spread of COVID-19. That has more to do with our safety than arrests do!