老澳门开奖结果 Ramps Up Advocacy to Release Vulnerable People in Prisons and Jails with National TV Ads

April 9, 2020 9:00 am

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NEW YORK 鈥 The 老澳门开奖结果 launched a nationwide television ad campaign, paired with a targeted ad buy in key states, urging federal, state, and local officials to release elderly and medically-vulnerable people from prisons and jails. The ads mark an escalation of the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 political advocacy and litigation efforts to save the most vulnerable from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the pandemic鈥檚 start, 老澳门开奖结果 and its state affiliates have filed more than 15 legal actions related to detention centers, prisons, and jails, and have led advocacy efforts nationwide, which have included direct engagement with government officials, mobilization of constituents, drafting of model policies, as well as digital ad work. Since these efforts started, more than 10,000 people already have been freed from prisons and jails. Much more government action is needed to stop the spread of COVID-19.

鈥淒uring this extraordinary pandemic threat, elected officials must act swiftly to save the lives of the most vulnerable and ensure that a jail and prison sentence does not become a death sentence,鈥 said Udi Ofer, 老澳门开奖结果 deputy political director. 鈥淧ublic health officials are recommending reductions in incarceration rates, recognizing that social distancing is nearly impossible in prisons, jails, and detention centers. Where we haven鈥檛 seen swift action, we鈥檝e sued, we鈥檝e lobbied, and we鈥檝e mobilized our supporters to free medically vulnerable and elderly people. We are using every tool in our toolbox, and are now taking our case to the airwaves: we can鈥檛 incarcerate our way out of this pandemic, but governors, sheriffs, prosecutors, and the president have the power, and responsibility, to save lives.鈥

The ad buy, launching today and running through next Wednesday, involves two ads. One features a woman of her sister Elaine, a woman with diabetes in prison. The with the Union Theological Seminary and appeals to religious and moral principles, in the effort to save the lives of medically vulnerable and elderly people whose sentences are putting them at risk. The ads will air on MSNBC, CNN and FOX News for a week, and all of the key Sunday shows this weekend, in the key political markets of Washington D.C., Hartford, Conn., Oklahoma City, and Richmond, Va.

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鈥淟eaders at all levels of government must prevent this pandemic from worsening into a humanitarian crisis in our communities by reducing populations in prisons, jails, and detention centers,鈥 added Ofer. 鈥淲e must save the lives of people who the CDC has identified as most vulnerable to infection. We can and should seize this opportunity to combat the virus鈥 spread, and save lives.鈥

Since the COVID outbreak, 老澳门开奖结果 has worked with government officials in 40 states to adopt best practices to release vulnerable communities from prisons and jails, leading to thousands of people being released or never entering jails and prisons in the first place. The 老澳门开奖结果 has also sued a number of federal prisons, and nearly a dozen 老澳门开奖结果 state affiliates have filed emergency petitions with their state supreme courts seeking the release of individuals in prisons and jails. In the organization鈥檚 15 lawsuits demanding that ICE release clients at high risk, more than 30 have been released. Additionally, 老澳门开奖结果 has taken emergency legal action against Alabama, Ohio, and Iowa to ensure that everyone can get the reproductive care they need, and launched lawsuits to protect voting rights in Georgia, Montana, Ohio, and Texas.

The ads are available online here:

  • 老澳门开奖结果 鈥淓laine鈥 ad is here:
  • Joint ad with UTS is here:

More information on the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 COVID-19 work is online here: /news/topic/covid-19-pandemic-response/

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