WHYY: Aaron Moselle - January 26, 2021
After attempting to test every incarcerated person and staffer on State Road for COVID-19, the Philadelphia Department of Prisons has lifted the shelter-in-place measures it adopted nearly two months ago in response to a surge of coronavirus cases inside city jails.
“We will continue to monitor our numbers of positive cases and will increase time out of cell accordingly. The PDP will continue its mitigation efforts to keep staff and the incarcerated population safe,” said Commissioner Blanche Carney in a statement.
While shelter-in-place measures were in effect, prisoners were only allowed out of their cells to shower, use the phone and attend virtual visits with their attorneys. Prisoner rights’ advocates said some incarcerated people were only getting 20 minutes or less to complete those tasks.
To read the full article, click here.