Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) re-introduced the “Correctional Facility Disaster Preparedness Act,” a bill that would ensure prison disaster response and recovery plans protect the health, safety, and civil rights of incarcerated individuals during natural disasters and public health emergencies. JustLeadershipUSA President and CEO DeAnna Hoskins issued the following statement:
“We want to thank Sen. Duckworth for once again bringing the Correctional Facility Disaster Preparedness Act before Congress. This legislation is literally about the difference between life and death for people who are incarcerated. While other places of congregate living—such as nursing homes, college dormitories, hospitals, and hotels—are all required by law to have emergency plans in place for occupancy, our prisons and jails sadly are not required or mandated to have these precautions in place. Which is why this is vitally important.
“As extreme temperatures and violent weather caused by the climate crisis increase across our nation, and COVID-19 continues to harm us, it is urgent that Congress take immediate measures and pass legislation to begin taking the necessary steps to put policies and procedures in place to protect not only the valuable lives of men and women behind bars but also the correctional staff who work in those facilities.”
Learn more about this legislation and contact your elected officials at jlusa.org/justus.