Dear Anne,
I’ve seen some of my friends using #DecarcerateDC on social when they post about COVID – but I don’t want to admit to them I’ve never heard this term before. What does decarcerate mean and what does it have to do with COVID? – Confused in Kalorama
Dear Confused in Kalorama,
Great question! Decarceration is a response to the system of mass incarceration in America and aims to eliminate or reduce the number of people behind bars through the implementation of effective, sustainable, and socially just policies. See this Decarceration Glossary from SURJ to learn more terms related to decarceration. The decarceration movement emerged in the 1980s as a counter to mass incarceration during President Reagan’s war on drugs as the U.S. prison population essentially doubled.
Decarceration remains an important strategy today. It is a human rights issue that has become even more urgent in the era of COVID-19, which has shone new light on the injustices inherent in American’s carceral system. Many issues with American prisons are glaringly apparent – and exacerbated – as COVID-19 strains already deeply flawed systems. Injustices like a lack of access to quality healthcare and contact with loved ones are rising to the fore as America witnesses the devastation of COVID-19.
The call to #DecarcerateDC is a call for racial justice. Incarceration disproportionately impacts poor people and people of color – particularly African Americans, who despite making up 13 percent of the nation’s population comprise 40 percent of the prison population. For more information about the history and impacts of American’s racialized criminal justice system, check out The New Jim Crow by Michele Alexander.
COVID-19 is taking a disproportionate toll on incarcerated individuals. Here in the District, the ACLU of D.C. and the D.C. Public Defender Service filed a lawsuit against the city’s Department of Corrections, citing unsafe conditions in DC Jail facilities including a lack of hygienic products and the withholding of medical treatment and testing. DC Jail facilities--detaining 1800+ people who are pre-trial, pre-sentencing, or serving short sentences--have a COVID-19 infection rate of 13 times the DC general population. Because DC does not have statehood, people sentenced to prison in DC serve their terms at federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities. As of May 20, BOP has a coronavirus infection rate 6.45 times higher than the national infection rate. The D.C. City Council recently voted to amend “compassionate release” from prison to include people who are vulnerable to COVID-19, but this is not an automatic, guaranteed, or quick process.
Dismantling the carceral state can seem daunting – but there are steps you can take to help.
Across the nation, organizations including SURJ and partners are calling to #FreeThemAll with protests, petitions, and pressure on public officials to release people from jail and literally save lives. Keep an eye on SURJ DC social media and emails for action alerts.
Black Lives Matter DC created an online petition calling for the decarceration of D.C. jails and halfway houses – to add your name to the thousands of residents pushing for justice. Sign the petition here.
If you’re still receiving wages during the pandemic or have the funds, consider contributing to The Bail Project or the Bail Fund Network to release people who are in jail awaiting trial because they can’t afford to post bail.
Get educated! Learn about prison industrial complex abolition and read articles about decarceration.
Interested in organizing against racist policing? Learn about the SURJ DC Policing Team.
Yours in resistance,
Anne
“Ask Anne” is a project of SURJ DC to help answer questions about race, racism, and white supremacy. Our goal is to take labor off people of color, make the anti-racist movement more accessible, and bring more white people into racial justice work in DC. Anne Braden (1924-2006) was a white anti-racist organizer, journalist, and educator in racial justice movements in the South. She worked from the perspective that white people have a self-interest in dismantling white supremacy. We hope to honor her legacy with Ask Anne. See the Anne Braden institute for Social Justice Research page for additional resources about Anne.
Are you a white person living in DC with questions about race, racism, or white supremacy? Write to us at surjdc+askanne@gmail.com with your question, a preferred pseudonym, and subject line “Ask Anne.” Your name will not be printed. We’ll publish a selection monthly.