AFP-Utah Calls for Safe Communities and Second Chances Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Apr 3, 2020 by AFP

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Americans for Prosperity-Utah (AFP-UT) encouraged Governor Herbert to adopt recommendations which would guarantee that every Utahn associated with the criminal justice system, including the incarcerated, police, prosecutors, judges, and correctional officers receive adequate protection from the spread of COVID-19.

AFP-UT State Director Heather Andrews issued the following statement.

“COVID-19 is indiscriminate in who it affects. We know our lawmakers have many difficult decisions to make in this uncertain time, but we encourage them to act with compassion for every Utahn.

“Incarcerated individuals are at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19 than the general population. Adequate social distancing is nearly impossible in our jails and prisons. We encourage Governor Herbert to take swift and targeted action to protect these individuals, which will protect correctional staff and our communities by extension.”

AFP’s recommendations for the criminal justice system during the COVID -19 crisis:

Empower police to uphold the law and protect public safety, by de-prioritizing lower-level offenses.
Ensure those incarcerated, correctional officers and staff are in clean facilities.
Keep public safety in the front of mind by strategically reducing jail and prison populations by using alternatives to incarceration such as home confinement and GPS monitoring.
Decrease the use of technical violations of probation and parole and use alternative audio/video methods for meetings as a tool to prevent spread of COVID19.