2020 July 14 Statement on recent deaths at Cuyahoga County Jail

7.14.2020: As we mourn TWO more tragic and unnecessary deaths at CCJ, we call on our community and elected officials to recognize and act upon the absolute urgency behind calls to defund police and prisons. The fact that we are back here nearly two years after the US Marshal’s report shows how little has actually been done to make our county jail humane.

County officials must review and revamp the emergency preparedness plan at CCJ because it clearly is not working in the face of COVID-19. We call on our community to please sign and circulate our petition for judicial releases and bail reform now. We ask that you please join our jail support group to build solidarity with people locked inside.

Our hearts are with the families of those who have died by incarceration and the unsafe working and living conditions at the jail. We will continue to fight and hold the county accountable for the blood on its hands.

Read report on recent deaths here: https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2020/07/cuyahoga-county-jail-inmate-dies-first-death-at-troubled-jail-in-14-months.html