We’ve been hearing a lot about this over the past few weeks. While a lot of citizens are on lockdown and not allowed to leave their homes except for essential trips to the grocery or doctor, cities have been pondering what to do with prisoners. The ACLU has called for all inmates most susceptible to the coronavirus to be released immediately. It wasn’t immediate, but it’s happening. Here are a few stories we’re seeing in our timelines Tuesday.
New York has released almost 1,000 inmates.
JUST IN: New York City releases nearly 1,000 inmates to avoid risk of coronavirus spreading in city's jails https://t.co/j0lAXtJyIH pic.twitter.com/u6ocBdloTM
— The Hill (@thehill) March 31, 2020
Law abiding citizens are threatened and actual criminals are freed. Amazing
— jsparker3 (@jsparker31) March 31, 2020
What could possibly go wrong?
— Lucky Duck ??? (@FlyingJayDee) March 31, 2020
Gasoline, meet fire.
— FiddlerOnDylan'sCoof (@on_fiddler) March 31, 2020
I hope they were tested first.
— Rockwell (@Rockwell2019) March 31, 2020
Genius.
— David (@jinxcoke) March 31, 2020
So New Yorkers are supposed to stay home and criminals go free?
The world had gone mad.
— Maggie (@NotPC96963535) March 31, 2020
Not to be outdone, California is reported to be granting early release to 3,500 inmates.
Breaking: California is granting early release to 3,500 inmates in an effort to reduce crowding as coronavirus infections begin spreading through the state prison system. https://t.co/sVhrmLeib2
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 31, 2020
We are locked in our homes while @GavinNewsom releases 3,500 criminals from prison. https://t.co/wxLvvmof1i
— Kevin Dalton (@NextLAMayor) March 31, 2020
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Mayor De Blasio would give them gift cards, a phone and baseball tickets. California inmates got it rough.
— politically_matt (@MattPolitically) March 31, 2020
I hope they are tested and quarantined for 14 days before being released.
— Ethos Wear Apparel (@EthosWear) March 31, 2020
What if they have nowhere to go?
— MJedGram#VoteBlueNoMatterWho (@MJedlicka) March 31, 2020
I hope they all have a home to go to.
— Armando Martinez (@BusOfKidsOnAcid) March 31, 2020
This won't end well.
— Judith Lankau (@judith_lankau) March 31, 2020
The citizens of Houston can get ready to welcome 1,000 former inmates back into the community:
JUST IN: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo says she'll sign an order to release around 1,000 non-violent inmates to stop the COVID-19 spread. #coronavirus #covid19
Today's developments: https://t.co/Lk7QWZ0QXr pic.twitter.com/Qos0D8Akr4
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) March 31, 2020
Wouldn’t that just spread the virus even more??
— chris (@jerkwaad) March 31, 2020
Non-violent means whatever lesser charge the criminal pled to. Doesn’t mean the original crime was non-violent. This is bad.
— Blaine Locheed (@BlaineLocheed) March 31, 2020
I bet they don’t live in her neighborhood.
— bogmay (@bogmay) March 31, 2020
Oh, and a judge has ordered ICE to release just 10 chronically ill illegal immigrants, but we’d be willing to be that number will rise.
NEW: A judge ordered ICE to release more immigrants from custody to protect them from the coronavirus outbreakhttps://t.co/6vWRRaarx2
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) March 31, 2020
Release them where? They don't live here. They do not belong here.
— Loulou (@Loulou21725942) March 31, 2020
Fake news. ICE doesn't deal with "immigrants", much less detain them.
— Gold Price Direction (@GoldPriceDirect) March 31, 2020
1. They're not immigrants. 2. That's how you make a corona virus outbreak.
— ?Gunpowder&Vanilla? (@Autumn__Fox) March 31, 2020
Why not just send them home?
— Lauren (@LaurenMack108) March 31, 2020
Hopefully, all of the criminals released across the country will take Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s advice and just “chill” under the coronavirus has passed.
At least one GOP lawmaker has raised the alarm:
NEW: House Oversight's @CongressmanHice raised questions about @NYCMayor's plan to release hundreds of prisoners during the coronavirus outbreak, as de Blasio announced 900 were already let go thus far. ~15% of the NYPD is currently out sick.@DCExaminer https://t.co/35OMPFfysz
— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) March 31, 2020
.@CongressmanHice is sounding the alarm on NYC's plan to release "potentially dangerous and contagious inmates."
“Americans are already worried … now is not the time to put their health and safety at further risk."https://t.co/s8yENJdxox
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 31, 2020
Related:
ACLU calls for immediate release of prisoners most susceptible to the coronavirus https://t.co/1gFwqBak6u
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) March 19, 2020
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