Recent data from the American Civil Liberties Union found that 800 inmates and staff in Massachusetts prisons have tested positive for coronavirus.
Data from the Massachusetts Department of Corrections revealed that 72% of incarcerated people sleep and 70% eat within six feet of each other.
Press information provided by advocates included a breakdown of inmate infections reported by WBUR: at MTC Bridgewater, 25% of those tested were positive; at MCI-Shirley, 54% of those tested were positive; and at MCI-Framingham, 37% of the total incarcerated population of roughly 200 women were positive.
“The department of corrections, the Massachusetts Parole Board and Governor Baker have failed the women at MCI-Framingham,” she said, adding that these officials need to be held accountable for their negligence.
The Massachusetts advocates’ 10-point plan urges the administration to release qualified individuals that are within six months of parole and people who are medically vulnerable.