"We have got to get more people out": Women, prisons, and COVID-19

Speaking Freely With the ACLU-PA

In normal times, women who are incarcerated face a unique set of challenges that are different from men's. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded those challenges. Ivy Johnson, Adrian Perry, and Dr. Jill McCorkel are members of the Incarcerated Women's Working Group, a coalition of 40 public interest organizations in Philadelphia advocating for women who are in jails and prisons. In this episode, they describe some of the challenges that women inside are facing in the Philadelphia jails and in the state Department of Corrections and talk about why decarceration is needed now more than ever. "The Other Public Health Crisis in Prisons and Jails" by Dr. Jill McCorkel: https://www.penncapital-star.com/covid-19/mental-health-the-other-public-health-crisis-in-pa-s-prisons-and-jails-opinion/ "Supporting Women in the Criminal Legal System Through Access to Diversion Programs," a new report by Community Legal Services of Philadelphia: https://clsphila.org/criminal-records/report-women-diversionary-programs/