Tell Governor Northam and the Virginia Department of Health that Release is the only way forward

Call Wednesday 3/25 all day!!!

As prisons, jails, and detention centers around the country begin to see outbreaks of COVID-19, it is clear that administrators are at best ill-equipped to keep people safe and informed. We need to put pressure on public power to act in the interest of public health. The only way Coronavirus is spreading to incarcerated and detained people is from staff bringing it in, and we know that people can carry the virus without being symptomatic. Social distancing is impossible in these facilities, and the availability of testing is so limited that the only way we know about infections is from people on the inside reporting outbreaks. By then it is too late. The only way to prevent illness and death in prisons, jails, and detention centers under these conditions is to release people in large numbers. People are already reporting outbreaks in Virginia facilities. Many jails across the US have implemented large-scale releases. It's past time for ICE and the Virginia Department of Corrections to follow suit.

Numbers to call

• Office of Governor Ralph Northam: 804-786-2211
• VA Commissioner of Health: 804-864-7001

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Emails
Email Commissioner of Health [email protected]
Email Governor Northam [email protected]

Suggested Script
Hello my name is ____. I am calling to request that your office take steps to minimize the risk of
transmission of COVID-19 in VADOC and ICE facilities. I am aware that staff at these facilities are not
being tested, and that people at ICA Farmville and Coffeewood Correctional are reporting symptoms.
Social distance as a preventative measure is impossible in jails, prisons, and detention centers. Given
that comprehensive testing is also impossible, the only way to minimize risk is to effect large-scale
releases. Coronavirus is an imminent threat to the secure operation of VADOC and ICE facilities, and
must be taken seriously. Will Governor Northam demonstrate his commitment to public health by granting clemency and commuting sentences? Or will he release a statement accepting responsibility for inevitable illness and death?

If you reach a voicemail
Ask for a callback. Note the time of call and where you left a message (in the case you were forwarded
to another answering machine)
If you reach a person
Note the time and length of the call and who you spoke with. Get the direct number and email of the
person you were transferred to. Push for a formal response. If the person you're speaking with can't speak to the office's response, ask them who can.

Leave a report in the comments, or email one to [email protected]