Recent data from the American Civil Liberties Union found that 800 inmates and staff in Massachusetts prisons have tested positive for coronavirus. Decarceration advocates released a 10-point plan urging Gov. Charlie Baker to depopulate prisons throughout the commonwealth.
“Social distancing is impossible to do in prisons,” said Rev. David Lewis of the Pioneer Valley Project during a Tuesday press conference. “Infections are spreading dangerously fast.”
COVID-19 spreads rapidly in congested spaces. Statewide safety regulations encourage people to remain six feet apart at all times. Most inmates are unable to maintain social distancing, however. Data from the Massachusetts Department of Corrections revealed that 72% of incarcerated people sleep and 70% eat within six feet of each other.
