The Public Health and Public Safety Foundations for Broad Prison Depopulation in a Pandemic

Medical experts have recommended urgently depopulating prisons to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 among incarcerated individuals, correctional staff, and their families. But so far, policymakers and correctional leaders have only modestly applied this guidance to reduce prison populations. This webinar examines the medical foundation for this guidance, criminological research supporting broad decarceration–including for people with violent convictions, and insights into current prison conditions and advocacy efforts.

Speakers:

Carlos Franco-Paredes, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine-Infectious Disease at University of Colorado

Sonja Starr, Henry M. Butzel Professor of Law at the University of Michigan

Sam Lewis, Executive Director of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition in California

Moderator: Nazgol Ghandnoosh, The Sentencing Project