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The State of Covid-19 in Prison as of 12-15-2020

Dear Human Rights Defender,

 

As 2020 comes to a close more than 20% of the nation’s prisoners have contracted Covid and thousands have died. The year has been challenging for HRDC on all fronts as we have kept publishing Prison Legal News and Criminal Legal News and kept distributing books despite the limitations imposed on our physical office space by Covid. Our legal team filed over a dozen censorship suits around the country to ensure prisoners can gain access to the life saving information we provide in PLN and CLN and we filed a number of public records lawsuits as well to ensure government transparency and accountability.

 

Right now we have requests in our office from over 2,000 prisoners seeking a six issue subscription to Prison Legal News. It costs HRDC $15 to provide each 6 issue subscription. Will you help us raise the $30,000 needed to pay for these subscriptions? Every little bit helps and right now PLN is the only publication prisoners have access to that reports on Covid in prisons and jails and how it affects them.

 

The need is real. HRDC relies on individuals like you, people who can and do make a difference, to do the work that we do. $15 can have a positive material impact on a prisoners’ life and remember that each issue of PLN is read by at least 10 more prisoners and we have a long shelf life as well. Please donate what you can and encourage others to do so as well. Together we can and do make a difference.

 

Check out our annual fundraiser mailing packet if you want to learn more about HRDC and the work we do. If you missed our 30th anniversary event you can watch it here.

 

In the midst of the suffering and the losses suffered by so many in 2020, we are grateful for the support HRDC has received which has enabled us to maintain our organizational capacity to advocate and defend the rights of prisoners and their families around the country. Please help us keep it up into 2021.

Paul Wright

Human Rights Defense Center, Director

Prison Legal News, Editor

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