MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Kenyatta Thompson, kthompson@katalcenter.org | (860) 937-6094
Follow on Twitter @KatalCenter #FreeThemNowCT #COVIDBehindBars
Tuesday: Family Members of Incarcerated People & Community Group to Hold Protest at the Connecticut State Capitol, Demanding the Legislature and Governor Address COVID-19 in Jails and Prisons
With Virus Continuing to Spread, Governor Lamont and the Legislature Have Failed to Address the Crisis of COVID-19 in Connecticut Jails and Prison During the Special Session
Families and Community Members Demand Action as 1,558 Incarcerated Individuals Have Tested Positive for COVID-19 in CT Jails and Prisons
Hartford, CT – On Tuesday, September 29th at 11:00 am, families of incarcerated individuals and community groups will gather outside of the Connecticut State Capital for a protest and speak out to demand the legislature and Governor Lamont address the issue of COVID-19 in correctional facilities. As the pandemic continues to spread across the country, correctional facilities make up some of the worst outbreak sites of COVID-19 in the country. Connecticut is among the top 10 worst states in the country in terms of COVID-19 rates per capita of incarcerated individuals. With 1,558 positive COVID-19 cases and 7 COVID-19 deaths for incarcerated individuals, every day that the Governor and legislature do not act means incarcerated individuals remain in life threatening danger.
The legislature is meeting this week for another special session, and once again glaringly missing from the agenda is any plan or proposal to address COVID-19 in state prisons and jails. Since the onset of the pandemic, Katal along with community groups, public health experts, and family members of those incarcerated have called for the General Assembly to develop a comprehensive plan that saves lives and addresses COVID-19 in prisons and jails. Governor Lamont and the legislature must act now to save the lives of incarcerated residents, who are disproportionately Black and Latinx. The press is invited to attend and hear testimonies from CT constituents who will speak about the individuals left behind by the legislature and Governor Lamont amidst the worst health crisis of our time.
WHAT: Protest and speak out at Connecticut State Capital to demand the release of incarcerated individuals due to COVID-19
WHEN: Tuesday, September 28th, 2020 |11-12PM
WHERE: 210 Capitol Avenue Hartford, CT 06106 (Northside facing Bushnell Park)
WHO: Family members of those currently incarcerated; constituents; and the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice
Governor Lamont and the legislature have refused to take the necessary preventive measures to release incarcerated individuals and build a comprehensive plan for COVID-19 within the Connecticut Department of Corrections. These decisions directly go against public health experts in the state who have recommended for months the immediate release of incarcerated individuals and have highlighted the urgent threat of COVID-19 in jails and prison across the state.
Families and Community members impacted by mass incarceration plan to hold the legislature and Governor accountable.
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