Salem Statesman Journal: Governor Brown, use your executive power to prevent more COVID-19 in Oregon prisons
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Oregonians have been quick to adapt to the new normal, supporting proactive measures to protect not just ourselves but the entire community.
By entering the Western States Pact, Gov. Kate Brown has doubled down on being proactive—prioritizing the health of all Oregonians and being guided by health outcomes and science, not politics.
There is one arena, however, where Oregon is putting politics over public health. Governor Brown needs to keep the pact intact and use her executive power to prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 in our state prisons.
For Oregonians living and working in prisons, social distancing is impossible. There is a shortage of personal protective equipment, and incarcerated people, correctional staff, and facility healthcare workers are all at risk. And we know from other states that infections that start inside don’t stop at the prison walls.
For example, at the Marion Correctional Institution in Ohio, over 80% of the population has tested positive, and over half of the coronavirus cases in the surrounding county are directly linked to the prison outbreak.
Other governors from the Western States Pact have taken decisive action to safely reduce prison populations, and slow the spread of COVID-19. Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced he would use his executive authority to release up to 950 medically vulnerable people who had already served most of their sentences and did not pose a threat to the public. California Governor Gavin Newsom expedited the release of 3,500 people who were near the end fo their sentences.
Releasing people who don’t pose a threat to public safety, many of whom are already near the end of their sentences, frees up space to provide a healthier environment for people who can’t safely be released - and creates a safer environment for correctional and medical staff.
And these releases can be done in concert with a victim notification program that allows people to appeal or seek support services; and a reentry support structure that helps ensure a safe transition.
We know this is not a trade-off between public safety and public health. It is a way to protect both.
Gov. Brown knows that, too. That is why she asked corrections officials to produce a list of more than 2,000 people who could be safely released from state prisons. None were convicted of Measure 11 offenses. Most are within six months of the end of their sentences. And many suffer from underlying health issues that put them at greater risk of contracting coronavirus, becoming seriously ill, and dying.
COVID-19 is already inside Oregon’s prisons. It’s too late to ensure that no one gets sick. But it’s not too late to slow the spread of infection inside and outside the prison walls. It’s not too late to prioritize science and public health over misleading attacks from special interest groups.
We know who can be released responsibly and Governor Brown has the executive authority to get it done. It’s time to keep the Pact intact and start protecting the health of every Oregon resident.