ACLU of Georgia Published an Open Letter to State County Sheriffs Regarding Their Responsibility in Dealing with the COVID-19 Virus
The ACLU of Georgia has published an open letter to the state’s county sheriffs regarding their responsibility in dealing with COVID-19 virus inside the criminal legal system.
Who
Christopher Bruce, Political Director, ACLU of Georgia
Melody M. Maddox, DeKalb County Sheriff
What
Press conference to highlight good practices responding to the COVID-19 virus inside the criminal legal system.
Where
DeKalb County Jail
The Sheriff's Media Room
4415 Memorial Drive
Decatur, GA 30032
When
11:00 a.m.
Thusday, March 29, 2020
Quotes
“In this time of crisis, state and local officials must be ever vigilant to protect the people in their custody,” said Christopher Bruce, political director of the ACLU of Georgia. “The recent announcement that one staff member of the Department of Corrections has tested positive for the virus makes it even more urgent for state and local officials to implement procedures to protect all people who are in our prisons and jails from being exposed to and contracting the COVID-19 virus.”
“The COVID-19/Coronavirus Pandemic is a prime example of where public safety meets public health. Our DeKalb County jail never closes and we process in and out members of the community nearly every day. Our focus is doing everything we possibly can to minimize exposure to the virus amongst inmates and with the staff. To that end every possible directive of public health officials and policies - developed by the agency for such a day as this – is being employed to guide us through whatever scenario may arise,” said Sheriff Melody M. Maddox. “In an abundance of caution, however, we have implemented several additional procedures for attacking this virus head-on. We trust our health services vendor partners when they advise us that we CAN minimize the risks if we take certain extra steps.”