On April 27, 2020, attorneys from Silver, Golub & Teitell LLP, Quinnipiac University School of Law Legal Clinic, the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization and Offices of Alexandra Harrington filed a petition for habeas relief under 28 U.S.C. 2241 for named plaintiffs, and seeking class status for unnamed, who are prisoners at FCI Danbury with multiple high-risk Covid factors. It seeks mandatory release and other protective measures. The petition is an outstanding piece of work comprehensively setting forth the extraordinarily dangerous conditions faced by incarcerated persons in this Covid pandemic. It is frightening but essential to read. It describes in horrifying detail the on-the-ground conditions faced by these Danbury prisoners, both the living conditions that preclude even the most basic safety measures, and perhaps even worse, the horrific treatment by some staff: faking temperatures, concealing sick individuals, forbidding medical care. Too often prisoner conditions are hidden behind a veil of indifference and apathy. Now more than ever they must be made visible. Congratulations to these attorneys and their staff for their dedicated advocacy.
The petition is available at https://ce8a2a3e-b0c1-43c0-b5b6-e35522eb6245.usrfiles.com/ugd/ce8a2a_4515effc140a4952b5ce6701b03c074b.pdf