When Inmates Die Of Poor Medical Care, Jails Often Keep It Secret

Please take 10 minutes to listen to WBUR’s report: When Inmates Die Of Poor Medical Care, Jails Often Keep It Secret. This is the first of a 4-part series called Dying on the Sheriff’s Watch. Even before the coronavirus pandemic began, most of the deaths of prisoners in our jails were caused by poor medical care. Jails should release prisoners, including many people who are being held because they cannot afford bail, to protect their health and to limit the spread of the virus and the toll on our health care system.

If you are moved by this series and concerned for our communities’ health during this pandemic, note that this is the Week of Action to demand release of incarcerated people. Today’s action is to call your county’s sheriff and tell them to release all people in pre-trial detention and people with less than 6 months left of their sentence and identify all people over 50 and people who are medically vulnerable who can be released. For more info on the Week of Action and why this action is necessary, follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/maweekofaction.