JUSTICE ACTION NETWORK APPLAUDS GOVERNOR INSLEE FOR SAFELY REDUCING PRISON POPULATION, PROMOTING PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Governor Inslee Plans to Address Prison Overcrowding in Effort to Reduce Spread of COVID-19, Protect Correctional Officers, Health Care Workers, Incarcerated People, and all Washingtonians 

Washington Joins Red and Blue States Including Kentucky, Ohio, New Jersey, and Oklahoma in Safely Reducing Prison Populations

(Olympia, WA) — As COVID-19 continues to spread and create dangerous conditions in Washington’s jails and prisons, Governor Jay Inslee announced today that he would use his executive authority to release up to 950 vulnerable individuals in state prisons convicted of non-violent offenses who have already served the majority of their sentences.

This critical measure will help stop the spread of COVID-19 not just among incarcerated people, but also among correctional officers, healthcare workers, and the general public. This action comes after the Washington Supreme Court ordered Governor Inslee and the Department of Corrections to submit a report on their plans to “take all necessary steps” to protect the health and safety of those in the justice system, and following a letter from Justice Action Network urging the governor to release individuals at highest risk of contracting the virus, and those who are not a public safety threat.

Justice Action Network President and Executive Director Holly Harris released the following statement applauding Governor Inslee for his leadership: 

“We applaud Governor Inslee for taking these critical steps to protect the health and safety of all Washingtonians, including incarcerated people, corrections staff, medical professionals, and their families and communities. These common-sense actions taken by Governor Inslee and the Department of Corrections will save lives, and we hope they’ll serve as an example to other governors across the country.”

“We’ve seen the toll that prison and jail outbreaks can take on communities already grappling with the spread of this deadly virus—exhausting local healthcare systems that are already on the brink and putting thousands of lives at risk. The steps taken today to protect the health of incarcerated people will protect all Washingtonians in the weeks and months ahead.”