by the COVID-19 Mutual Aid Solidarity Network (Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Awareness Group, Creative Justice, No New Youth Jail, Pacific Rim Solidarity Network)
Dear Governor Jay Inslee,
We call on you to act immediately to protect the lives of Washington State citizens confined in our prisons and jails. As the coronavirus presently threatens the health and lives of people across the country, those imprisoned in Washington State could quickly be subject to a death sentence. Even before the coronavirus, the Washington Office of the Corrections Ombuds identified that our state institutions are vulnerable to a pandemic. As noted, “OCO’s largest area of concern with regard to conditions of confinement for persons incarcerated in DOC is in health services. Over 20% of complaints pertain to allegations of poor quality of health care or inability to access health care.”
In order to truly flatten the curve in our state, we must decrease our population in prisons, jails and detention centers. Other states have already taken action or are considering the following steps to reduce the threat to the lives of incarcerated people. Nearly twenty percent of our state’s prison population is over 50 years old, making them especially vulnerable to coronavirus infection. Close quarters and insufficient supplies exacerbate this threat.
To this end, we call on the State of Washington to immediately:
- Release all medically vulnerable adults, especially people over the age of 50. The Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB) should expedite release––consistent with public safety––of all immuno-suppressed, chronically ill, elderly, and/or pregnant incarcerated people.
- Release all people who do not pose a risk to public safety.
- Given that ICE and the Northwest Detention Center have repeatedly failed to respond to mumps and other outbreaks in the recent past, we ask that you order DOC not to transfer any person released into ICE custody.
- Grant early release to people with anticipated release dates in 2020 and 2021.
- Release people whose release has been ordered by the ISRB but who remain confined pending approval of their release plans.
- Eliminate minimum sentencing laws, under which judicial discretion is minimized and systematic incarceration is further facilitated.
- Immediately release all incarcerated people who do not pose a risk to public safety. Evidence shows that this category includes people who have served at least 15 years of their sentence, are over 50, and/or are incarcerated for offenses they committed as juveniles.
- Immediately release all people incarcerated for poverty violations, including those sentenced under the Three Strikes Law.
- Suspend all probation and community custody violations. Reducing the flow of people into confined spaces such as DOC facilities is crucial to flattening the curve in this pandemic.
- Accommodate individuals who may not be able to attend check-ins with community corrections officers.
- Suspend the need for individuals on work releases to have to report to work or school.
- Release individuals on work release who have 6 months or less time.
- Expand preventative health care measures for people who are incarcerated. In addition to taking steps to address overcrowding, all people who remain in custody should be cared for. Given this reality, solitary confinement is not preventative health care and should not be used to mitigate the risk to vulnerable prisoners. Instead, our jails and prisons should take the following measures.
- Provide unlimited and free access to sanitary supplies for those who are incarcerated and enable them to institute safe practices: this includes unlimited handwashing, moisturizers, alcohol-based (60% or higher) hand-sanitizer, bleach-based cleaners, and gloves.
- Actively screen temperatures and health conditions of all staff members who enter the prisons; prohibit any staff with illness from entrance to a facility.
- Utilize additional medical staff who are not a part of the DOC to coordinate care.
- Establish a quarantine location that is not in the living units and is not solitary confinement.
- Restrict solitary confinement to no more than 15 days and only use this extreme punishment in extreme circumstances.
- Set clear limitations on the use of lockdown during this time.
- Eliminate medical co-pays, provide free testing and treatment
- Install more JPay kiosks (or Securus kiosks in the local jails) in the living units to allow for more access to video visits between incarcerated people and their loved ones in the community in this time of crisis. Connection to loved ones is especially critical in this frightening time. As Washington DOC has restricted visits, it must provide incarcerated people more access to phone calls and remote video visitations free of charge.
- DOC facilities and local jails on average have only 2 remote video visitation kiosks per 400 incarcerated people. Installing more kiosks would allow for greater access to video visitations and limit the spread of coronavirus.
- Given the exorbitant cost of phone calls and remote video visitations, DOC must require the telecommunication companies that are contracted (Jpay and Global Tel Link), to allow for phone calls and remote video visitation at no charge to incarcerated people and their loved ones.
- Ensure prison/jail staff compliance in allowing incarcerated people more access to phones and video visitation kiosks. Since it is likely that most facilities are on some type of restricted movement or lockdown, prison/jail staff must be required to allow incarcerated people out of their confined quarters to access the phones and kiosks more frequently.
- Provide alcohol based cleaning wipes at the phones and kiosks so people can adequately clean the phones and kiosks before and after use to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Governor Inslee, we appreciate the ways that you and our Washington State legislators take seriously the need to protect the lives of our residents. As you know, the health, well-being, and lives of people in the state’s locked institutions are literally in your hands. We urge you to take immediate and decisive action to save the lives of some of the most vulnerable communities in Washington. You will have our full and active support in this critical work.
Due to the urgency of the issue at hand, we expect a prompt response from you by Friday March 20th 12pm.
Sincerely,
Organizational Endorsements
Black Prisoner Caucus
La Resistencia
No New Women’s Prison
Black and Pink Seattle
Bridges to Life Restorative Justice
Creative Justice
Disability Rights Washington
FIRELANDS Workers United (Stina Janssen)
Justice Support Group
Central Washington Justice For Our Neighbors
Columbia Legal Services
Freedom Project
Human Impact Partners
Left Bank Books Collective
Gathering Roots Retreat Center
PARISOL (Pacific Rim Solidarity Network)
Real Change
Safety through Solidarity
Solidarity and Direct Action (SoDA) Seattle
Seattle South Asians 4 Black Lives (Rani Hanstad, Aretha Basu, Pranava Raparla)
APICAG (Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Awareness Group)
Cargo Bike Kitchen LLC
Prison Health News
Satterberg Foundation
Seattle ACED
Planning Alternatives for Change
Power Past Fracked Gas (Sarah Cornett)
United Students Against Sweatshops
Washington Young Farmers
Prison Voice WA (Loretta Pedersen)
Reframe Health and Justice
Team Child
Social Justice Fund NW
The Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons
WA Statewide Family Council (Loretta Pedersen)
Health Equity Circle Spokane
Olympia Bail Fund
350 Eastside (Phil Ritter)
PSARA (Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action
Thrive Resilient LLC
Dominican Association of Washington State
350 Tacoma, (Bradley Thompson)
Dharma Friendship Foundation
Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane
Kitsap Showing Up for Racial Justice
One America
CID Coalition / #HumbowsNotHotels
National Lawyers Guild, Seattle Chapter
Jews Undoing Institutional Racism
Non-Complicit Student Association at the University of Washington School of Law
Seattle South Asians for Black Lives
Transit Riders Union
Gender Justice Beyond Bars and Binaries
Legal Voice
Post-Prison Education Program
350 Seattle, (Emily Johnston)
Individual Endorsements
Nikkita Oliver
Chelsea Moore
Dan Berger
Suzanne Cook
Loren Taylor
Linh Nguyen
Janet Moriarty
Cheuk-Ning Li
Cammie Carl
John Stovall
Emily Childs
Sandra Weber
Alison Cheung
Darby Bundy
Therese pfeil
Maria Garcia
MaryAnne Tran
Michael Grant
Andy Wen
Caitlyn Hynes
Soya Jung
Mushawn Knowles
Jane Singer
Meredith Durbin
Heather Dockery
Kristina Nielander
Portia
Ainsley Kelly
Narada Roberts
Roderick. Roberts
Jessica Means
Bruno George
Gabbi Nazari
Jason Beutler
Susan M. Taylor, ARNP
Michelle Kriebel
Maya Ramakrishnan
Sarah Desti
Jasmine Bernardez
Carrie Freshour
Jessica Ward
Danielle Shapiro
Amber kha
Melissa Dunbar
Debra Daniels
Danielle Hennigan
Marie Artap
Katie Wilks
Devan Holmes
Amy Groesbeck
Leo Farbman
Kate Brunette
Janet Floyd
Sherri Caldellis
Abigail Johnston
Susan Royer
Tyler Wilch
Heather Manley
Katherine Frasier
Stacey sevier
Peggy
Danthanh Trinh
Trevor P.
Kami Yamamoto
Caitlin Nold
Julie triggs
Jillian Rausa
Mark Gravador
Diane Durall
Sam Lee
Lizzy Ott
Julia Robinson
Lesley Hoare
Mark Macomber
Margaret Wilson-Briggs
Laura Powell
Kathleen l Starr
Siabhon Ayuso
Mackenzie Barton-Rowledge
Sierra Kaplan-Nelson
Katherine Schaff, DrPH
Waajidah Smith
Madeleine Greenfield
Ashley Werth
Gillian Harkins
Stevie Houpt
Helena Benedict
Alaina Schultz
Angelica Jannone
Sofiya Liashedko
Liz Kroboth, MPH
Catherine M. White
Rebecca Hill
Meredith Ruff
Andy Cornell
Marc Mazique
Frances Lee
Aaron J. Shay
Tanya Roman
Bean Yogi
Marisa Ordonia
Braden Pence
Emilie Carr
Hannah Halpern
Burke Stansbury
Denise Grollmus
Jeffrey Davidson
Cassandra Butler
Tasha Walston
Shannon solie
Paula Crews Bond
Roy Todd Bond
Nikki Châu
Julie Steinbacher
Keren Ram
Erin Wolf
Laura De Vos
Allison Osborne
Anna Fernandez
Loretta Pedersen
Pranava Raparla
Lacie Braun
Will Darling
Anna Ivanov
Richelle
Raphael Felix
Alexis Bogan
Max Delsohn
Dave Bullard
Jody Bullard
Kari Langsea
Susan D Cooksey
Elizabeth Lynch
Ingrid Pixel
David Spataro
Sasha Duttchoudhury
Renee Shank
Phil Neff
Remy Teal
Jessica Allen
Ky Cochran
Ian Nava
Lorena Matteucci
Alexander Stein
Meilani Mandery
Ammara Touch
Anise Rau
Courtney Morales Thrall
Chen-Chen Jiang
Dante Meola
Scout Raven Khelian
Lo Goens
Nicollette Roe
Karen Toering
Kanak
Aniela Gustin
Leah van Hoeve
Anish Kumar
Asha Hanstad
Linda Vong
Uma Rao
Heather Carawan
Eevee Sun
Damian Davis
Riley Moos
Lydia Rubenstein
Olivia Mansker-Stoker
callie bee
Sharada Rayan
Lourdez Velasco
Ivey Lufkin
Tomas Madrigal
Sarah Johnson
Emmett Stanfield
Anna Bychkova
Charles Eddington
Melissa Stephens
Addie Bjornson
Karen Pillar
Carlos Osorio
Gus Voss
Jenny McIntosh
Archana Ahlawat
Alex Eisenberg
April Zhang
Noah (Julee) Goldberg
Piper Carafa-Olson
Vernon Roessler
Aditi Rajendran
Kathryn Gardner
Jared Maddox
Gabby Goeglein
Murphy
Dan McFadden
Annette Klapstein
Kris Chan
Eamon Redding
Akanksha Jayanthi
Alicia L. Lopez
Tess Matsukawa
Tera Oglesby
Lucy Middleton
Julianna Alson
Katie Barnett
Robin Narruhn
wesleigh richardson
Amber Akemi Piatt, MPH
Mia McFarland
Kristian McFarland
Shuxuan Zhou
Diane Hernandez
Victoria Lewis
Katherine Schade
Luke Ulrick
Elena Orlando
Laura
Da Sol Lim
Casey Murray
Juan Cordova
Dawn wiltzius
Agnes P Cwalina
Nesley Bravo
Estelle Nelson
Scott Groce
Anna Micklin
Kunthy Nouv
Kelly Johnson
Raksmey Por
Patricia Gojetia
Guy Oron
Vik DeMarco
Rinny Tun
Sandra Matthews
Hayley Shannon
John Cachero
Anna Hackman
Genevieve Adabelle
Spencer Rickman
Chelsea Harris
Shandrika Demmer
Aaron Hartwell
Lauren Holloway
Tara Johnson
Amara C Monillas
Joey Wieser
Carmetrus Parker
Iris Carrera
wilson shook
Brooke Kipling
Helen Cosmos
Greta Roy
Judith Oliver
Nadelyn king
Solona Sisco
Nicole Plastino
Tobias Gurl
David Heppard
Laurie Dawson
Elliott McMurray
Kalisto Nanen
Jill Yang
Ade Gawdat
Bruce glant
Amanda Barnett
Jaron Kaplan-Parr
Yameekia Saxton
Bellen Drake
Sierra Katz
Alicia young
Connie Palmersheim
Brittany Friedman
Lena Klarnet
Nicole Bearden
Giulia Pasciuto
Abra Soule
Susan Stahl
Krista Hanson
Alisha Nieh
Rochelle James
Jeremy
Paige Hardy
Wyatt Thomas
Sasha Pesci
Sharon Tsoi
Julianne Presson
Laura Rodriguez
Yolanda Heppard
J R
Raili Marks
Alexandra Blakely
isaura jiménez
Lily Frenette
Ms. Patricia Leckenby, ARNP
Olivia Geffner
Brent McFarlane
Saira Basravi
Rachel Scott
Nick Dominique
Anne Petty
Allyson McDonough
Jennifer Pritchard
Sean Flannigan
Krista Sneller
Michelle Raine
Sarah Benson
Rebecca Chan
Kamal Patel
Celeste Monke
Jay Roelof
Delphi Drake-Mudede
ind
Jessica Hartman
April Sewell
Bhante Nuntiyo Bhikkhu
Leela Berman
Sara Virginia Newman
Carrie Jaecksch
Scott Winn
Lauren berliner
Kirstin Wagner
Heather Day
Jessica Anthony
Marisa Hendrickson
Alana Gorman-Knutson
Hannah Lessing
Dana Barnett
Jieyi Ludden
Che Sehyun
Maggie Grae Clogston
Charles Collins
Kate McIntosh
Rachel Barnett
Frances O’Shaughnessy
Susan A. Verbalis
Sarah Sense Wilson
McKenzie McCallister
Anne Dwyer
Michelle Hu
Alison Kelly-Rostholder
Susan Sheinfeld
Michael H. McIntosh
Peter Pihos
Rabbi David Basior
Kelsey Hamlin
Michelle Dillon
Elena Fazeli
Moira Leibowitz
Mia Mendoza
Scott Kurashige
Robin Counts
Sallie Lau
Miles
Lizzie Simon, RN
LYnn McIntosh
Molly Brashear
Claire Clayton
Meryl Geffner
Marissa Hoffman
Frances Dierken
Jennie L
Danielle Rowland
Cole Buckley
Gail Tsai
Jose Luis Rodriguez
Vince Schleitwiler
Scott
Hana Ferronato
Benjamin Kunzo Crook
Naomi Finkelstein
Thiago Marques
Randy Meier
Anthony Rella
Xander Kahn
Camilla Guevara
Caralise McIntosh
Willa Osborn
Jason Thoennes
Amanda andrews
Cherie Lee
Kaylee Knowles
Mytoan Nguyen-Akbar
Evette Jasper
Eliza Davison
toetie zwart
Michelle Habell
Casey Drobnick
Claire McHale
Emmett Moore
Taurmini Fentress
Makenna Lehrer
Laura Stembridge
Reilly Richards
Erin Bednarz
Joanie Fuller
Andrew Wurtz
Caleb Knapp
Jessamyn
Abby Welch
Wan Nur Ardini Batrisyia Binti Wan Anuar
Shannon Landheer
Phoebe Fanganello
Maricruz Maldonado
Kristen Reijonen
Gabby Lacson
Devany Shikiar
Jaylen Sabini
Tedi Beck
Faye Alarcon
Sadie Katon
Erica Weiland
Stephanie De La Paz Cerda
Corinne H
Carol willuams
Kaitlyn Laibe
Arista Chen
Ruba Ayub
Ruby Harlin
Riley Meeks
Alejandra Puerto
Nick peters
Eowyn Orleck
Maren Nielsen-Thompson
Randi Fleming
Myra Lara
Andrew Grant Houston
Allison Campbell
Omid Bagheri Garakani
Clara Sheffer
Jocelyn Santacruz
Natalie Jamerson
Frank Blanco
Serenity Chan-hamilton
Sai Samineni
Elena Perez
Kathryn Grubbs
Morgan Stine
Alexis koch
Allison Goldberg
Jaci Leavitt
Julie Xia
Elena Chiu
- Angela Castañeda
Carl W. Elliott
Carol Olivier
Jaiden Feldman
Ananya Garg
Amanda Brown
Carly Rose
Erika Decker
Diane Baer
Simon Knaphus
Maggie Rickman
Elizabeth Nichols
Courtney Hooks
Athena Addams
Christy Cox
Caren Hill
Emily Johnston
Claire E Smith
Katy Allen-Schmid
Aubrey Wisdom
Jamie B
Uma
Jared Bennett
Lisa Logan
Kovas Zygas
Elizabeth Reis
Karen Schneider
Jeanne Deller
Devon Tremain
Valentina Warner, MD
Jean Berolzheimer
Elaine Hickman
Jordan Van Voast
Riddhi Mehta-Neugebauer
Marlen Ruedas Castro
Max Drewes
Shannon Carman
Carrie Matthews
janet Glenn
Christina Antonakos-Wallace
Jacob Meyers
david kipnis
Megan Ybarra
Becca Meredith
Dean Spade
Meera Sethi
La Tisha Conto
Cole Willsea
Geoffrey D’Alosio
Jamil Suleman
Paula Bond
Shelby Handler
Chelsea Myers
Ross Girshick
Brie Gyncild
Meghan Thompson
Aaron Shay
Eric Padget
Becca
Jay Billings
Jeffrey Freiberg
James Page
Rachel Shapiro
Karla
Elena Lyn Orlando
Elise Cooksley
Katie Freeman
Todd Bohannon
Greg Thiessen
Natasha I Terry
kai aprill-tomlin
Annie
Gordon Werner
Emily Yoshioka
Ashley Barnes-Cocke
Yaya
Megan Munk
Kelsen Caldwell
Casey Motson
Rosalie May
Tiffani Escalante
Lynnda Escalante
Katie Pekarsk
Matty Whyte
Ellen
Jennifer Gosar
Sophia esparza
Lea Kronenberg
Shelli
Django Paris
Julie Feng
Adrienne Domingus
Natalie Chapman
Brett Mille
Autumn Vanderkloot
Sriram Parasurama
Mara Dauber
Tashina Shepherd
Bonnie
Robyn Greenfield
Eleanor Ryan
WD
Susan Wade
Brit
Erika
Kathleen Starr
Elaine Mehary
Noah
Rachel McBain
Kaylen Hendrick
Kathy Frasier
Sina Sam
Jessica Mitchell
Noreen Light
Anita Barker
joanne glant
Liz Spoerri
Candice
Sophia Posnock
Carly Greyell
Elise McKinnon
Jeanne Berry
Charlie Shih
Kimberli Burrow Elam
Matthew Van Duyn
Hannah Wilson
Sue Kay
Evalynn Romano
Leah Wood
Whitney Wood
Grace Ott
Deborah Massachi
Elisa Cozad
Leah VanHoeve
Natalie Snitzer
Florence Sum
Marco Henry
Tamara Lea Spira
Michael Foster
Felipe Perez III
Otelia Lundberg
Emily Pacunski
Charlie Kundts
Meagan Bernatchez
Jessica Rock
Alan-Michael Weatherford
Jonathan Pincus
Autumn James
Talonya Adams
Christoph Adams
Mary Mitchell
Dennis Young
Rachel Page
Thomas Sargent Moore
Maureen Janega
Alexa Fay
Alora McGavin
Sela Mafi
Juawana Grant
Simon
Juliet Le
Amanda miller
Kelsey Souza
Tonya Tolliver
Phoebe Faulkne
Chanda Mak
Chessie Snider
Francis Jason
Jackson Pietsch
Bana Be
Sewheat Asfaha
Lynn Ausley
Shaniah Card
NANCY L COLLINS
- Williams
TJ Main
Sam
Rell Be Free
Sweller weller
quinn rao
Sarah Staley
Karen Taylor
Mollie Wolf
Scout Smedley
Steve Leigh
Sarah Egger
Jeff Campbell
Beck
Fiona Sheehan
Sarah
Sara Yinling Post
Jack Finley
Mac Peyton
Kathryn Sanlis
Rebecca Petersen
David Ellenwood
Brittney Bush Bollay
Mai Takahashi
Fletcher Christie
Toetie
Ross Kirshenbaum
Sarah Bishop
Byron C. Coates
Ashleen O’Brien
Darius Fullmer
Rebecca Allen
Jieyi Arthur Ludden
Dora “Duaa-Rahemaah” Williams
Anna Jacobsen
Agnes P. Cwalina
Will Toaspern
Eliana Horn
Rae Paris
Mary RobertS
Ed Mast
Tianna Andresen
Madeleine Sosin
Jasmine Fernandez
Nick San
Miya Woo
Jeremy Milloy
Maria Porter Steward
Michael H McIntosh
Diana Xin
Jared Austen Maddox
Tushar
Carl W Elliott
Cassandra Yabes
Miranda Mellis
Sarah Cornett
Letauaeletise Hunkin
Nina Wallace
Kyli McGillivray
Brad Blackburn
Aidan Moore
Tiffany Chen
Lauren Moore
Morgan Michel
Emijah Smith
Aline Prata
Jada Marsden
Stephanie Trasoff
Kathleen Brian
Rudy
Sarah Schwab
Elizabeth Seibel
Camille Walsh
Linda Phan
Aleksandrea Johnson
Alena Huynh
Justin totaan
Elicia Shotland
Rachel Anderson
carol williams
Zainab Jabboua
Eden Amital
Maana Mesbahi
Peggy Korpela
Emily Silva
Arianna Nord
Gregory Lewis
Noah Collier
Devon de Leña
Naomi Smith
Emily Rose Childs
Derek Boiko-Weyrauch
Summer Diegel
Nicole C Zeller
Rose Ernst
Kim Wool
Darcy Peth
Karyn Poblocki
Talya Gillman
Sayer Rippey
gretchen siegrist
Oloth Insyxiengmay
Shirley gumabon
Vanessa Moreno
Jay Thompson
Nancy
Alia Taqieddin
Koko Takahashi
Mike Phimpiela
Alexandria Jones
Norma Timbang
Carmen Felicia Forsman
Sharrin Manor
Tara Fisher
Joanne Murayama
Andrew Hedden
Cameron Withey
Chris Eisenberg
Anthea Hubanks
Rita Montour
Gretchen Sleicher
Matthew Hernandez
Jeremiah Bourgeois
Lorena Mendoza-Flores
Karla Davis
Phebe Jewell
Luke Patterson
Adrian Tunney
Michael Paradis
Mel Landquist
William McKeithen
Susan Helf
Denise Hotchkiss
vy nguyen
Lucien spect
Benji Astrachan
Madeleine Vidger
Jennifer Ting
Helena Ribeiro
Laura Elaine Daza
Shanine Lofton
Hannah Myrick
Jessica Frank
Sarah K Burkhalter
Lorinda Rowledge
Camille
Rosanna Sze
Sara Brickman
Paige Lester
Evelyn Morris
Kayleen Oka