Prison & Jail Conditions

FWD.us Statement on the Arizona Department of Correction, Rehabilitation, and Reentry Reports in Rapid Increase of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Prisons Across the State

PHOENIX, AZ — FWD.us Arizona State Director Elissa Johnson issued the following statement on the alarming rise and spread of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona prisons: “For weeks, advocates, correctional officers, former judges and prosecutors, lawmakers, and the families of incarcerated people have been urging state… Read More

FWD.us Urges Mississippi Officials to Protect Incarcerated People Amid Confirmed Positive COVID-19 Death

JACKSON, MS — FWD.us Mississippi State Director Alesha Judkins issued the following statement today after the death of an incarcerated person who tested positive for coronavirus at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman: “The recent death of an incarcerated person who tested positive for COVID-19 at… Read More

FWD.us Urges Arizona Local and State Leaders to Reduce Incarcerated Populations to Slow Spread of COVID-19

PHOENIX, AZ — FWD.us Arizona State Director Elissa Johnson issued the following statement to urge officials to reduce prison and jail populations in Arizona amid the COVID-19 pandemic: “As this unprecedented COVID-19 public health crisis continues, Arizona’s state and local government cannot afford to wait a moment longer to… Read More

FWD.us Statement on New Polling Showing Broad Support to Reduce Incarcerated Populations to Slow COVID-19

WASHINGTON, DC – FWD.us Senior Director of Criminal Justice Reform Zoë Towns issued the following statement on a recent memo highlighting voter support of public health strategies that reduce jail and prison populations: “In this unprecedented pandemic, jails, immigration detention centers, and prisons are incubators and… Read More