Philly DA Larry Krasner urges for early release of low-risk prisoners to prevent spread of COVID-19

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Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (Photo by Jared Piper/PHL Council)

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner is calling for the early release of low-risk prisoners in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within corrections facilities and the surrounding communities.

“There are thousands if not tens of thousands of people in prisons across Pennsylvania who frankly should not be there, including people who are elderly, sick, have mental or physical disabilities, and who pose no threat of violence to the public,” District Attorney Krasner said Thursday. “Jails and prisons are already dirty, crowded places. The elected and appointed leaders of the Commonwealth must protect us all by moving forward with safe and timely release of people from corrections facilities who are unlikely to endanger the public.”

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The District Attorney’s Office has been working with the Defender Association to identify people for early release, including:

– People who have already served their minimum sentence and are eligible for parole

– People who are serving their sentence and are worthy of early parole

– People who are elderly, ill, and/or infirm

– People who are being held pre-trial for non-violent and misdemeanor offenses simply because they could not afford bail

– People who are good candidates for alternative detention, such as house arrest or GPS monitoring

– Juvenile offenders who are deemed to pose no safety threat to the public

“I have long expressed disagreement with state and local leaders who support measures to keep their prisons full, especially in parts of Pennsylvania where prisons are viewed as valuable to the local economy,” Krasner added. “I today implore those state and local leaders to be consistent, and to take actions to protect the livelihoods and safety of people who work in prisons, their families, and their communities. A COVID-19 outbreak in prison would be disastrous, and likely deadly, for incarcerated people and everyone else. For the sake of public health, immediate action to reduce prison populations across Pennsylvania is urgently needed.”

To date, Pennsylvania has 185 cases of COVID-19. Officials expect the number of cases to rise as testing is made more widely available.