UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND UNCOMMON LAW’S RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK.png

UnCommon Law’s legal staff have adapted our model of parole hearing preparation to respond to the limitations on in-person legal visiting due to the constraints of COVID-19, including by advocating directly to the Board of Parole Hearings to improve access to confidential, attorney-client phone calls; have expanded our legal staff to reach more clients and provide more resources to non-clients; and have onboarded dozens of volunteers to help us provide parole consultation resources to people inside.

We continue to advocate directly to Governor Newsom, demanding he release those most at-risk during the COVID-19 outbreak in California’s prisons. For more information on this advocacy work and our demands for Governor Newsom, click here.

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UnCommon Law’s official COVID-19 response, March 2020

All of us are feeling the effects of the coronavirus outbreak in our own lives and in our communities. Just like everyone else, our office faces new and unprecedented obstacles in serving our clients, responding to mail and phone calls, and providing valuable resources. In light of the risk of introducing coronavirus to our clients and others inside prison, we have made the very difficult decision to discontinue in-person visits, including for parole hearings. Our model for counseling and legal representation requires direct face-to-face contact, and it requires our physical presence alongside the people we serve during their parole hearings. Unfortunately, this type of contact is not possible at this time.

The Board of Parole Hearings may continue to postpone parole hearings as COVID-19 continues to spread. We never want to see anyone spend even one day too long in prison, and we understand the devastating impact a postponed hearing has on those who so desperately seek an opportunity to come home. Our team will do all that we can to minimize the negative impact of postponed hearings. 

As people across the nation grapple with the new realties of shutdowns, quarantines and isolation, our office is continuing to highlight that, for those in prison, these struggles are often a fact of daily life; those in prison are uniquely vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. Lockdown conditions in all California prisons have resulted in the cancellation of nearly all visitation, giving a new and difficult meaning to the term “social isolation” for incarcerated people and their loved ones. While many of us are lucky enough to easily use the internet, video chat and unlimited cellular data to stay connected to family and friends during this period, people in prison lack access to these resources, and must rely on limited, cost-prohibitive phone calls to reach their friends and family on the outside. Phone calls are not available at all during a lockdown or quarantine.

In March, UnCommon Law joined more than 20 other justice organizations in a direct appeal to Governor Gavin Newsom. We have called on the Governor to immediately take the necessary steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in California prisons and protect not only prison residents but staff and surrounding communities as well.

These steps involve promptly releasing the most medically vulnerable people in prison and those with upcoming release dates; eliminating unnecessary meetings and travel for those out on parole; lifting barriers to communication between people in prison and their loved ones outside; and ensuring that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is meeting the medical needs of those in its custody. Because some of these steps will require releasing people from prison, this broad coalition is also working to implement measures to ensure a safe and successful transition to the community.

We are committed to continuing to fight for our clients, their families, and all those impacted by long-term incarceration, especially in difficult times like these. We have been inspired and heartened by the resilience and tenacity of our clients, partners and community members over these past days and weeks, and are proud to stand alongside you all.