March 19, 2020
Institute and Other Groups Ask Gov. Murphy to Protect Incarcerated Youth During COVID-19 Pandemic
New Juvenile Detention Admissions Should be Halted and Incarcerated Youth Should be Removed from Facilities
NEWARK – In light of the public health threat to incarcerated youth during the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and its partners in the 150 Years is Enough campaign today asked Gov. Murphy to halt new admissions to juvenile detention in New Jersey, and to remove currently incarcerated youth from detention facilities.
The Institute, Salvation & Social Justice, and the NAACP New Jersey State Conference told the Governor that, “Research by health care experts shows that incarcerated populations are most at risk during a public health crisis. COVID-19 spread quickly in enclosed spaces such as cruise ships and nursing homes and it will spread just as quickly in detention centers, prisons, and jails.”