Criminal justice reformers argue for social services, early release

With coronavirus continuing to assault the Sunshine State, a criminal justice reform group argued for mitigation for Florida’s most vulnerable.

Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice (CSSJ) wrote Gov. Ron DeSantis Monday, promoting “healing over retribution.”

“As survivors of crime, we ask that you continue to provide access to and support for services we need to be safe, and that you not justify unnecessary incarceration on our behalf,” wrote CCSJ Managing Director Aswad Thomas.

The letter offered a number of policy recommendations.

A big part of healing for us is having access to services that meet our needs, many of which are related to the trauma we experienced as survivors of crime. Domestic violence shelters, trauma recovery and reentry centers, nonprofit community and faith-based services are all examples of essential, critical services that we need to be safe,” Thomas wrote.

Expansions of emergency shelter options for reformed convicts and survivors of domestic violence are sought.

Another concern: the prison population itself, a demographic uniquely at risk for community spread.

“We affirm calls to action emerging across the nation to take urgent action to stop the spread of the virus inside prisons and jails,” Thomas wrote, including more testing and release of elderly and sick inmates.

Also sought: alternatives to jail for low-level criminals who don’t represent a safety risk, and remote supervision of parolees.

The Florida Department of Corrections houses 96,000 inmates, and the News Service of Florida notes that COVID positives have been found among employees in a number of prisons, delineating the urgency on the state level.