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“Joker” star Joaquin Phoenix recently called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to release some prison inmates early amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
What happened:
- Phoenix shared thoughts in a video recently released on Twitter by the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign. He asked for Cuomo to release prisoners soon.
- The tweet reads: “I’m calling on @NYGovCuomo to take action in New York by granting clemency to New Yorkers in prison. The lives of so many people depend on his action. No one deserves to die in prison from COVID-19.”
- In the video, Phoenix explained that the threat of the coronavirus puts those in prison in immediate danger.
- He said: “When you’re incarcerated there’s no such thing as social distancing and ensuring good hygiene is not an option. Leaders must do everything possible to prevent incarcerated people and those who work in prisons from becoming ill and spreading the virus.”
Experts worried about COVID-19 in prisons
- Experts are worried about what could happen to prisoners amid the COVID-19 outbreak, especially if the coronavirus begins to spread within those facilities.
- Dr. Homer Venters, the former chief medical officer of the New York City jail system, told NBC News: “We’re in a very perilous stage right now. It’s just a matter of time before we see cases inside jails and prisons.”
- Venters said most prisons lack basic tools to keep people clean.
- He said: “Let’s say there are three sinks for 40 people. Rarely do I ever see most of them working, plus soap and paper towels. Some of the most basic elements of infection control that we take for granted, like your ability to wash your hands and dry them, remain out of reach for many people in detention.”