Think back to the beginning of this year. A stay-at-home order has you trapped inside. Now imagine you have no phone, no computer, and no one to talk to. You are by yourself fourteen days in a row. This sort of prolonged isolation is a form of torture. It has been the daily life of thousands of incarcerated people since March.
In Orleans Parish jails, If you test positive for COVID-19, if you were in contact with someone who tested positive, if you are being treated for non-COVID-19 related illness, or medical staff simply deem it appropriate, you are forcibly subjected to fourteen days of solitary confinement. This policy has not stopped infections. As of October 16, 10 inmates in OPP were listed as positive for COVID-19.
The best policy to stop the spread of COVID-19 is also the most humane: free all nonviolent inmates and detainees! This applies to all jails, prisons, and so called “detention centers”. In the meantime, incarcerated people who have been denied visitations deserve a chance to video-conference with their families and communities. End the torture now!