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Statement

MomsRising: Our Jails Must Do Better

February 3, 2019
School-to-Prison Pipeline

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

The New York Times reported that more than 1.000 inmates have been stuck in freezing cells, without heat and limited power, at a federal jail in Brooklyn for at least a week. This comes on the heels of a report earlier this week that a woman died in an Indiana jail after her complaints of stomach pains were ignored for two days. In response, Beatriz Beckford, Campaign Director at MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, released the following statement:

“Too often our criminal justice system shows no regard for detained peoples’ health and safety, frequently costing them their lives. The conditions in this New York jail are nothing short of cruel and inhumane -- and sadly all too common. We must improve jail conditions to ensure they meet basic requirements and protect the human dignity of incarcerated individuals.

“But stories like Lamekia Dockery’s also illustrate that our criminal justice system also needs comprehensive reform. Communities of color bear the brunt of this system’s unjust mistreatment, as Black and Hispanic people continue to be overrepresented in the criminal justice system -- and the cost is often deadly.

“There is a legal and moral obligation to provide all detained people in jails and similar institutions with basic living necessities, especially heat and medical care. Federal, state, and county officials must investigate all instances of abuse and neglect, as well as provide adequate funding for medical staff and utilities in jails across the country.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.