Target: Rollin Cook, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Corrections
Goal: Commend release of over 700 inmates to slow spread of coronavirus in prisons.
The Connecticut Department of Corrections has taken a crucial step forward in slowing the spread of the coronavirus by granting early release to over 700 inmates. This is the largest reduction in the prison’s population that has ever occurred within one month. This ForceChange petition demanded the release of sick and elderly inmates during the coronavirus epidemic, and Connecticut has set an excellent example by accelerating the release of medically vulnerable prisoners.
Prisons across the country are likely to see the coronavirus spread like wildfire among their populations due to close quarters, unhygenic conditions, and inadequate medical staff. Releasing inmates who do not need to be incarcerated or face an elevated risk of infection is the most effective way to prevent accelerated contagion.
The Connecticut Department of Corrections has made a wise choice in releasing hundreds of prisoners in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, and it should continue this progress with further releases. Sign below to commend the commissioner for acting in the best interest of public health.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Commissioner Cook,
The release of over 700 inmates from the Connecticut prison system is a triumph for justice and public health. By reducing the prison population and therefore increasing the space and resources available for the remaining inmates, you have made crucial steps in slowing the spread of the coronavirus and protecting not only your prisoners but your community.
While these releases represent significant progress, they must continue in order to minimize the risk posed by Connecticut prisons. I commend you for accelerating the release of medically vulnerable inmates, and hope that this will serve as a model for further releases and health-centered reforms. The process you have begun could be of immeasurable value to Connecticut and to the entire nation.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: OscarHdz
This is horrible mistake. Allowing criminals to go free and carry on with their criminality will put innocent people at risk. Criminals for the most part, do not change. Most of them pick up where they left off. If anything, criminals who have a history with the revolving prison door should serve life sentences. Not to punish them but protect us from them. That is the primary job of the justice system.