Across the country, advocates are seeking and obtaining the releases of some individuals from jails and prisons to reduce the incarcerated population and combat the spread and harm from COVID-19. The speed of these releases raises concerns about whether these individuals are prepared, particularly given the COVID-related restrictions that exist in most jurisdictions. What health screening do they receive before leaving? Will they have access to transportation, food, and housing? Should they be required to self-quarantine and how do you prepare them to do this immediately following release? This webinar addresses how to make sure that those released are prepared and will have access to means to meet their basic needs during the COVID-19 crisis.
April 06, 2020 COVID-19 WEBINAR SERIES
Reentry Planning for COVID-19 Releases
Panelists
- Rebekah Almanzar, Social Work Supervisor, The Legal Aid Society of New York
- Stacey Borden, M.Ed., LADC I, CANS, Founder/President, New Beginnings Reentry Services, Inc.
- Wendy Petersen, Assistant County Administrator, Pima County, Arizona
- Kate Vesely, Director of Justice Reform Initiatives, Criminal Justice Reform Unit, Pima County Administration
Moderator
- Malia Brink, Counsel for Indigent Defense, ABA Standing Committee Aid and Indigent Defendants
Joint Sponsors: ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants, ABA Criminal Justice Section
Co-Sponsors: ABA Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights & Responsibilities, ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty, ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, ABA Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division, ABA Section of Litigation, ABA Section of State and Local Government Law, ABA Senior Lawyers Division
Resources
Guidelines on Getting Out - Pima County, AZ (2018)
Urban Institute, Release Planning for Reentry (2008)
I've Been in Prison. Sheltering in Place Is Terrifying.
The New York Times | April 7, 2020
I Was at Rikers While Coronavirus Spread. Getting Out Was Just as Surreal.
Freed From Prison After 26 Years—Into a Coronavirus Hotspot
Locked up to locked out: Recently released prisoners face unprecedented challenges amid coronavirus crisis
ABC News | April 10, 2020
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