COVID Response
PJI was one of the first organizations to call attention to the COVID crisis in Louisiana’s prisons and jails. We organized a coordinated response along with other civil rights groups across the state, we filed suit against inhumane conditions of confinement- an action that addressed the transfer of COVID positive incarcerated people to Angola’s notorious and previously condemned Camp J.
We have also provided direct support to hundreds of clients and their families during the pandemic.
Unfortunately, our work is not yet done. State officials have refused to act, even when there have been clear cut solutions to managing COVID outbreaks in facilities, such as commuting sentences of those eligible for release, or furloughing children. PJI is gearing up for the second wave of the virus, which experts predict will be even more deadly than the first.
Interested in helping us bring home elderly and medically vulnerable people? Learn more here.
Read our report Locked in with COVID-19: A Review of How the 2020 Pandemic Ravaged Louisiana’s Prisons, Jails, and Detention Centers
Litigation
We filed multiple temporary restraining orders (TRO) against adult and child correctional facilities to stop the dangerous act of transferring incarcerated people during the COVID pandemic.
Our initial action stemmed from our medical class action lawsuit, which exposed the inhumane unconstitutional conditions at Angola. After filing the restraining order, our pressure on the state has stopped the transfer of incarcerated people to Angola’s deadly camp J. We have also filed suit against facilities that held incarcerated people past their release dates, putting them at unnecessary risk during the pandemic – when they should be home safe with their families.
Our ongoing juvenile class action lawsuit represents all children incarcerated in Louisiana’s juvenile correctional facilities, and highlights the danger of keeping children from their families during a deadly pandemic.
Advocacy
We have mobilized coalitions, faith leaders and other civil rights organizations in holding state officials accountable, and urging them to protect the health and safety of incarcerated people during the pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, we consolidated disparate efforts so that all civil rights groups in the state were able to coordinate a uniform response. We have also called on the Governor to commute the sentences of people who are eligible for release, and take the advice of his COVID task force, whose recommendations he blatantly disregarded.
PJI continues to work with medical experts to advocate for those who are elderly and medically vulnerable. We continue to keep track of all COVID related letters and phone calls we receive, and are sharing this data with NGOs and civil rights lawyers across the state to amplify our response.
Coalition Support
We began our first round of COVID advocacy by convening a coalition of concerned organizations and family members, signing onto letters that demanded Louisiana correctional facilities protect incarcerated people from outbreaks, and sounding the alarm about the dangerous practices and care at Louisiana jails and prisons. PJI staff helped spearhead coalition letters in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and across the state.
We also laid out recommendations and joined other organizations in Louisiana in calling for better standards of care and asking for the release of incarcerated people considered to be high risk.
Recent Coalition Support News:
PJI Joins OPPRC letter asking for Immediate Release of Orleans Parish Prison’s High Risk Inmates
Client and Family Assistance
PJI has supported hundreds of clients throughout the pandemic, by purchasing hygiene supplies, reading materials, and phone funds so incarcerated men, women, and children can keep in contact with their families. We have responded to hundreds of letters and calls since March. Our Client and Family Assistance Coordinators have played a pivotal role in supporting our clients and their family’s well being throughout the COVID pandemic.
Outcomes
As our Executive Director, Mercedes Montagnes, said at the beginning of the pandemic, “inaction now will undoubtedly lead to many folks who are incarcerated suffering needlessly and at least some of them dying preventable deaths.” Because of Louisiana state official’s inaction, COVID has spread throughout facilities and has put thousands of incarcerated people and DOC staff at risk. Just as predicted, “inaction compounds dangerous conditions.” Sadly, many of these deaths were preventable.