DELCO COALITION FOR PRISON REFORM CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION TO PROTECT OUR VULNERABLE, INCARCERATED POPULATIONS & THE STAFF WHO SERVE THEM
Our nation is in a state of emergency due to the spread of COVID-19. At the county level, we must protect our vulnerable populations who are incarcerated and confined in close quarters. We call upon our county officials to reduce incarceration at George W. Hill Correctional Facility and the Juvenile Detention Center and send the most vulnerable home. There have already been two confirmed exposure events at the George W. Hill Correctional Facility. Preventing an outbreak becomes extremely difficult within the closed environment of the jail. The social distancing that is recommended for those outside the prison system cannot be observed by those on the inside, in close quarters.
For the safety and well-being of the people confined in these facilities and the staff members who work there, we call upon county officials to take immediate and extraordinary steps to protect as many people as possible. We also recognize the interconnected network within our county and that by protecting our most vulnerable protects all of us, including the families of staff and the health workers who treat those hospitalized with COVID-19.
Additionally, as people who are incarcerated are released back into the community when they post bail or complete sentences, we are all better protected if they have not been exposed to a major outbreak in the jail or detention center. The time to act is now. We appreciate the steps that county officials have already taken, but more is needed. This emergency is unprecedented and our response must be equally so.
DEMANDS FOR COUNTY OFFICIALS
1. We call upon President Judge Kelly to direct that cash bails be lowered to Released On Own Recognizance (ROR) in all cases in which this is possible. This will reduce the number of people being taken into George W. Hill Correctional facility. The order recently issued by President Judge Kelly does not go far enough. Incarceration during a COVID-19 outbreak poses an increased risk to those who cannot make bail and is unconscionable in most cases.
2. We call upon President Judge Kelly to direct the Office of Adult Probation and Parole to lift detainers and restrain from petitioning for new detainers in all cases in which this is possible.
3. We call upon President Judge Kelly to modify his recent emergency order to include immediate release of pregnant women, those over age sixty and those listed by the CDC as more likely threatened by exposure to COVID-19. In cases where a risk to the community is perceived, these men and women can be placed on house arrest with an ankle bracelet monitor.
4. We call upon district judges to avoid imposition of high cash bail, and the Office of Pre-Trial Services to recommend non-commitment forms of surety in all cases in which this is possible. Bail should only be used where there is a serious concern that the individual would fail to appear in court or where community safety is at risk. Incarceration prior to conviction is fundamentally unfair, and during this time of emergency it should be suspended.
5. We call upon police officers to file criminal complaints with the court instead of making arrests whenever possible. Other counties in Pennsylvania have already initiated this effort and we should follow suit to further reduce the number of men, women and children booked into our facilities at this time.
6. We call upon District Attorney Stollsteimer to support our position for no cash bail on low level offenses and that he request President Judge Kelly, the District Judges and the police to concur with our demands.
DEMANDS FOR GEO GROUP
1. We call upon GEO Group to bring the full strength of its corporate resources to bear and absorb any impact to its corporate bottom line. Delaware County is doubly unique in this time of emergency. Not only do we have the only privately-operated prison in Pennsylvania, but we now have the only correctional facility in Pennsylvania where there have been confirmed cases of COVID-19 exposure. It is time for GEO group to step up.
2. We call upon GEO Group to recognize the risks to and sacrifices of their employees during this time of emergency, and compensate them accordingly beyond their usual pay. We recognize efforts already taken to screen and monitor employees, as well as provide fully paid self-quarantines where medically necessary. We also know that these protective measures mean there will be staff shortages above and beyond those GEO Group has always had, and staff should be compensated for working under these conditions beyond their usual pay.
3. We call upon GEO Group to transfer inmates who have been sentenced to state prison to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections as expeditiously as possible. The state facilities maintain a much higher level of medical care, and any prisoner who is asymptomatic should be removed as soon as possible. There have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in any of our 24 state prisons or the motivational boot camp.
4. We call upon GEO group to follow CDC guidelines, including adequate medical screening and a rigorous, continuous cleaning process. Medical staff must go onto every housing unit several times per day. Any incarcerated person must be allowed to request to have a temperature taken and report flu-like symptoms. Multiple screenings per day enables cases to be identified as early as possible. There must be no co-pays for medical screenings or treatment. GEO should provide unlimited access to soap, hygiene products, showers and laundry at no charge.
5. We call upon GEO to work with the Chester County Health Department to perform contact tracing for all cases of possible exposure for staff and prisoners, and quick isolation of possibly infected persons.
6. We call upon GEO Group to allow each person in their custody one free phone call per day and to adopt a virtual visitation program comparable to those implemented by the DOC and Montgomery County. Our prisoners have lost their in-person visits. GEO should make life more tolerable inside their facility without regard to their profit margin.
7. We insist that quarantined men, women and children not be held in restrictive housing. At no time should medical isolation or quarantine lead to further restriction of movement or the revocation of privileges.
JOIN US
We urge organizations and individuals to stand with us and endorse our demands.
CALL THE COURTS — PRESIDENT JUDGE KELLY (610) 891-4318
EMAIL THE COURTS — delcocourts@co.delaware.pa.us
“I am concerned about the COVID-19 outbreak at George W. Hill Correctional Facility. I ask that you stop setting bail and release as many people as possible, especially those who are most vulnerable, such as pregnant women and people over 60. Please do everything you can to bring people home safely before this crisis worsens.”