Thread by @JulieGunnigle

We are now live with the @ACLUaz for a virtual town hall on the #COVID19 crisis in county prisons. We will be live-tweeting and you can also stream the town hall below.

Zoom:bit.ly/mcaotownhall
Facebook Live: facebook.com/ACLUofArizona

We need to elect courageous and transparent leaders up and down the ballot in the county government.

I hold an undergraduate degree in chemistry. The pandemic has reinforced the need for an evidence-based policy when it comes to fighting #COVID19 in our prisons.

First and foremost, we are witnessing a lack of leadership in the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Quite frankly, the buck stops somewhere else.

In the absence of genuine leadership, it has been our sheriff’s department and the police forces who have stepped up with proactive measures to keep our jail population low.

During normal times, a prosecutor should only be using incarceration when absolutely necessary because depriving a person of their liberty should be a last resort when community safety demands it.

The county attorney's actions are not even close to what we need to be doing to prioritize public health and save the lives of incarcerated individuals.

During this time we need to lead with facts and science.

The #COVID19 situation changes daily and it is apparent how little we know about this virus and its spread but that it threatens devastation in our overcrowded prisons.

I will continue to stand by the experts and the American Friends Service Committee in particular in recommending a three-step plan:

1. Stop the revolving door of readmissions to prison by suspending nearly all revocations for technical violations or community supervision.

2. Suspending the number of admissions for low-level drug offenses and other short term low-risk individuals.

3. Be an advocate and collaborative partner. Many of the changes we need are not solely in the control of this office so I would advocate for the expedited review of clemency petitions for elderly chronically/terminally ill people, and advocate for medical releases.

We should be wanting those who have been cited and released during this time to stay safe, to keep working, keep caring for their families, and if their citation stems from addiction, to get help.

But there is little incentive to do that if you think that in the coming days or weeks, you could be plucked from your home at the whim of an unelected official and called to answer for an offense that happened months ago.

I firmly believe our county attorney should have the political courage to tell the accused and the public what she intends to do with these cases currently in legal limbo.

Simply put, we need real leadership in the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

Higher cash bail, arresting, and charging people for low-level offenses are two areas where our minority communities are disproportionately targeted by our criminal justice system. We should end these practices not because of #COVID19, but because it is the right thing to do.

It forces those without the means to lose income, lose jobs, and become separated from their families. When you destabilize families you make our communities less safe.

We should be creating specialty courts that work including domestic violence court that keeps families safe and holds people accountable as well as pre-adjudication felony veterans court to best serve those who have served our country.

The pandemic has shown that decarceration works; now it's time to elect a Maricopa County Attorney who will make these reforms permanent.

#COVID19 has hit the most marginalized people in our community the hardest and when we talk of violations of social distancing and stay at home orders, we need to be cognizant that those experiencing homelessness, or housing instability lack a mechanism to do this.

It is not a good use of law enforcement’s time or health to expose them to the risks that close contact with someone who has not been social distancing. We don't have an effective way to isolate such a person in jail, because our prison system is already overcrowded.

We need our elected officials setting an example, wearing a mask when in public, and promoting only evidence-based treatment.

Our press should do their part to be responsible and stop giving air time to people who directly flout stay at home orders or deny facts and science.

I will work with anybody who stands up for criminal justice reform, but I have not seen anyone in our state who wields real power do anything meaningful to protect our prisons or release those who should be furloughed or have their sentences commuted.

At this moment in history, we should all be using our collective voices to pressure our county attorney and governor to take action. I’ve got little patience for the cover-ups, deception, and misinformation.

To those who are watching, I hope that you’ll be joining me in amplifying the voices of those who are doing the best work to pressure our those with power into taking action.

We need to put a healthcare expert at the front of this to provide best practices on halting the spread of #COVID19 in prisons.

Our County Attorney should be working towards solving this issue, but we can continue to voice our concerns and lobby our elected officials.

Our jails and prisons have become the frontline providers for addiction and mental illness because of budget cuts in our state.

We need full-scale diversion and deflection programs to better meet the need of people experiencing addiction and illness in our community.

If we want #CJreform, we need to end our school to prison pipeline. This means investing in education and not trying juveniles as adults.

I think it is shameful that the current, unelected County Attorney did not show up tonight to defend her positions.

We have seen a lack of accountability and transparency in the office.

We didn't get to an incarceration crisis overnight. This is the result of self-dealing, conflict of interest, and bad governance.

Additionally, our current County Attorney has said that she will not uphold a woman's right to choose if Roe v Wade were to fall. Women's healthcare and rights are on the line for this election in November.

The pandemic has exposed weak leaders in our state.

In 2020, we need to elect a Maricopa County Attorney that will demonstrate true leadership, create comprehensive criminal justice reform, and uphold their values in the face of crisis.

Thank you for tuning into the @ACLUaz virtual town hall on #COVID19 in our prisons.

We hope it was an informative and sobering discussion on the state of our prisons and the shortcomings of our criminal justice system.

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