on the purchase of a new Lincoln.
>>> THE CORONAVIRUS IS A PROBLEM
EVERYWHERE.
EVERYWHERE. IT IS A PROBLEM NOT ONLY IN OUR
FREE COMMUNITIES, BUT ALSO
BEHIND BARS IN THE PRISONS AND
JAILS THAT ARE ALL OVER THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. COOK COUNTY JAIL IN CHICAGO IS
THE NATION’S LARGE KNOWN SOURCE
OF CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS WITH
OVER 350 CASES.
RIKERS ISLAND IN NEW YORK WHERE
MANY PEOPLE HAVE NOT BEEN
CONVICTED OF A CRIME BUT
AWAITING TRIAL.
AWAITING TRIAL. IT SAW ITS FIRST INMATE DIE FROM
THE VIRUS.
THE VIRUS. 287 INMATES HAVE TESTED POSITIVE
JUST AT THAT FACILITY ALONE.
MANY ZBOFRGOVERNORS ARE EXPEDITI
THE RELEASE OF MANY CATEGORIES
OF INMATES.
OF INMATES. MANY SAY THIS IS A MUCH LARGER
PROBLEM, THAT INCLUDES PIPER
CARMAN, THE BEST SELLING AUTHOR
OF "ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK."
SHE SPENT 13 MONTHS IN A
CORRECTIONAL FACILITY AND HAD AN
ARTICLE IN "THE WASHINGTON POST"
NOTING PRISONERS ARE
UNCONTROLLABLE SUPER SPREADERS.
HER WORK IS KNOWN TO SO MANY
PEOPLE FROM HER BOOK.
THANKS FOR JOINING ME.
>> OF COURSE, ARI.
GREAT TO BE HERE WITH YOU.
>> SO WHAT IS IT THAT PEOPLE
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AS A
PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE FIRST,
REGARDLESS OF HOW THEY MAY FEEL
ABOUT INMATE POPULATION?
SECOND, AS A HUMANITARIAN ISSUE,
BECAUSE PEOPLE BEHIND BARS STILL
HAVE FULL HUMAN RIGHTS.
>> SO PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ALL
AMERICAN PRISONS AND JAILS ARE
VASTLY OVERCROWDED AND THAT
SOCIAL DISTANCING IN ALL OF THE
PRACTICES THAT WE HAVE ADOPTED
NATIONWIDE TO TRY TO FIGHT THIS
PANDEMIC ARE IMPOSSIBLE BEHIND
BARS.
BARS. SO AS AN EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, I
TAUGHT AS A MEN’S MEETING IN
SECURITY PRISON IN MARION, OHIO,
WHICH WAS THE FIRST PRISON TO
HAVE AN OUTBREAK.
THAT PRISON WAS BUILT FOR 1400
PRISONERS AND CURRENTLY HOLDS SS
2600 MEN.
2600 MEN. SO THAT’S HOW OVERCROWDED MOST
PRISONS ARE.
PRISONS ARE. THAT MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SLOW
THE SPREAD.
THE SPREAD. SO PEOPLE MAY BE INDIFFERENT TO
THE CONDITIONS THAT THE PEOPLE
WHO WORK AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
INCARCERATED THERE, YOU KNOW,
ARE ENDURING.
ARE ENDURING. BUT WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW,
THERE’S NO WAY TO KEEP THOSE HOT
SPOTS BEHIND THE WALLS OF A
PRISON OR JAIL.
COOK COUNTY JAIL IS A GREAT
EXAMPLE.
EXAMPLE. PRISONS AND JAILS ARE CONNECTED
TO MORE THAN 1300 CASES ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
THE COUNTRY. AND THOSE CASES ARE NOT ALL
BEHIND BARS.
BEHIND BARS. THOSE ARE ALSO STAFF, AS YOU
MENTIONED A NUMBER OF
CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS HAVE
TRAGICALLY DIED.
TRAGICALLY DIED. AND THEIR FAMILIES AND AS WE
KNOW, THIS PANDEMIC SPREADS
REALLY QUICKLY.
REALLY QUICKLY. IT’S HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS.
AND THE PRESENCE OF AN OUTBREAK
BEHIND BARS THREATENS THE
OUTSIDE COMMUNITY.
OUTSIDE COMMUNITY. THE ONLY WAY TO COMBAT THOSE
OUTBREAKS IS TO REDUCE THE
POPULATIONS IN THOSE PRISONS AND
JAILS.
JAILS. SO WE’VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN IN
MANY MUNICIPALITIES.
MANY MUNICIPALITIES. SO SOME COUNTY OR CITY JAILS
HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB OF REDUCING
THEIR POPULATIONSSS SWIFTLY.
THERE WASN’T HARD TO DO, BECAUSE
THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE
FOR VERY LOW DISDEMEANORS OR
ELIGIBLE FOR BAIL.
SOME PLACES HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB
OF GETTING THOSE FOLKS OUT OF
CONFINEMENT AND FLATTENING THE
CURVE.
CURVE. SOME PRISONS HAVE NOT DONE A
GOOD JOB AT ALL.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SEEN MUCH MORE
TROUBLE IN THE STATE PRISON
SYSTEMS IN TERMS OF GETTING
GOVERNORS TO DO WHAT THEY NEED
TO DO TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH.
>> I WANT TO PLAY IN THAT VEIN
SOMETHING FROM AN OHIO PRISON,
WHICH I KNOW YOU KNOW ABOUT, WE
TAUGHT THERE, WE’RE GOING TO
HEAR A PRISONER DESCRIBING SOME
OF THESE CONDITIONS AND
CHALLENGES RIGHT NOW.
>> SOMEBODY IN HERE TESTED
POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.
SO THIS IS WHAT THEY GAVE US.
LIKE ALL THE NECESSARY
PRECAUTIONS ARE OUT THE WINDOW.
A FEW DUDES IN HERE RIGHT NOW
WHO GOT PHIFERS WHO THEY’RE NOT
OF HERE.
OF HERE. HYGIENE, TOOTH PASTE, SOAP, ALL
OF THAT IS ABOUT TO BE NON-EXIST
TABLET
TABLET TANT AND THEY DON’T HAVE A WAY
TO GET US MORE.
>> WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ABOUT
THIS?
THIS? >> SO THAT FOOTAGE IS FROM WHERE
I USED TO TEACH IN OHIO AND SO
THIS IS A MEN’S MEDIUM SECURITY
PRISON.
PRISON. IT HAPPENS TO BE THE PRISON THAT
HOLDS THE LARGEST NUMBER OF
ELDERLY PRISONERS IN THE STATE
OF OHIO.
OF OHIO. IT IS WAY OVER CAPACITY.
BUILT FOR 1400 MEN HOLDING ABOUT
2600.
2600. I CAN TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, I HAD
A LOT OF GUYS IN MY CLASS THERE.
I’M THINKING ABOUT MY STUDENTS.
I’M THINKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, SOME OF MY STUDENTS I
KNOW ARE VERY CLOSE TO RELEASE,
SO A COUPLE OF GUYS WHO HAVE
BEEN INCARCERATED FOR, LET’S
SAY, EIGHT OR NINE YEARS BUT
THEY ARE WITHIN A YEAR OF THEIR
RELEASE.
RELEASE. THEY ARE MORE THAN READY TO GO
HOME AND SO THERE ARE A LOT OF
PEOPLE IN STATE PRISONS WHO ARE
CLOSE TO THEIR RELEASE DATES WHO
SHOULD BE RELEASED NOW, YOU
KNOW, I WOULD SAY THE SAFE
RELEASE PLAN IN ORDER TO REDUCE
THAT POPULATION AND THE OTHER
GROUP OF PEOPLE IN STATE PRISONS
WHO MUST BE FAST TRACKED FOR
RELEASE ARE THOSE ELDERLY
PRISONERS AND CRITICALLY ILL
PRISONERS AND AGAIN, MARY ANN
CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION, THE
BAD OUTBREAK IN OHIO IS A
FEDERAL PRISON HOLDS MORE
ELDERLY PRISONERS THAN ANY OTHER
PRISON IN THE STATE OF OHIO.
AND THIS IS A PROBLEM ACROSS THE
COUNTRY WHERE THE NUMBER OF
ELDERLY PRISONERS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY HAS GROWN BY 300% OVER
THE LAST 15 YEARS.
SO THERE’S A SIGNIFICANT
PERCENTAGE OF PRISONERS IN ALL
AMERICAN PRISONS WHO ARE AMONG
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE MOST AT RISK
AND THERE ARE ALSO THE LOWEST
SAFETY RISK.
SAFETY RISK. ELDERLY PRISONERS HAVE EXTREMELY
LOW RATES.
LOW RATES. SENDING THEM HOME AS AN ACT OF
MERCY IS NOT A THREAT TO PUBLIC
SAFETY BUT NOT SENDING THEM HOME
IS A THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH.
>> IT GOES TO THE BALANCEING THA
WE DO AND WHETHER ANY OF THAT
NEEDS TO BE REBALANCED.
LORD KNOWS AMERICANS ARE
REBALANCING THEIR DAILY LIVES,
POLICY, ECONOMY, LOSING JOBS,
WHAT YOU HAVE I THINK EMP EVERHA
IN YOUR WORK THERE ARE TRADE
OFFS IN THE PRISON SYSTEM
ALREADY THAT ARE VERY
QUESTIONABLE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT
WHAT IS THE VALUE TO SOCIETY OF
KEEPING SOMEONE INCARCERATED SO
THEY DIE IN THERE DEPENDING ON
THE OFFENSE AND DOES ANY OF THAT
NEED TO BE REBALANCED?
THESE ARE PROFOUND QUESTIONS I
APPRECIATE YOU RAISING.
PIPER?
PIPER? ONE MORE THOUGHT?
DID YOU HAVE ONE MORE THING?
>> WE SEEN GOVERNORS LIKE
GOVERNOR CUOMO, NEWSOM DO LOTS
OF SMART AND IMPORTANT AND SWIFT
THINGS TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE IN
THEIR STATE BUT WHERE ALL THREE
OF THOSE GOVERNORS ARE FALLING
SHORT IS AROUND THIS QUESTION OF
PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY
THAT COMES TO THE STATE PRISONS,
SO TRAGICALLY, IN OHIO, YOU KNOW
YESTERDAY THEY REPORTED THEIR
FIRST DEATH OF A CORRECTIONAL
OFFICER AND THAT --
>> YEAH, WE HAVE THAT.
>> THAT IS OFFICER DAWSON AND --
>> YEAH, JOHN DAWSON.
>> I SAW HIM EVERY DAY WHEN I
WOULD LEAVE THE PRISON.
HE WAS CLOSE TO RETIREMENT AND
HE WAS A GOOD GUY.
HE WAS A NICE MAN, AND THAT WAS
AN AVOIDABLE DEATH AND --
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> MANY OF THESE DEATHS AREN’T