Reform Advocates Hope COVID-19 Temporary Measures Become New Normal



Tigger Warning!

Sustaining the “New Normal”

The prospect of making permanent some of these temporary moves toward decarceration is on plenty of funders’ minds. Inevitably, the priority has begun to shift from rapid response to long-term advocacy as moving people out of COVID-ridden jails becomes less palatable. “We’ve been assuming that the immediate opportunity around decarceration is time-limited. People will fear infecting people on the outside,” Ford’s Coke said. Justice reform efforts will continue to evolve over the next few months as more funders bring updated strategies online. 

More to Come

It’ll be hard for advocates to guard against backsliding across so many small jurisdictions. But justice reformers have built-in advantages right now. One is the perception of unified local fronts made up of police, policymakers, prosecutors, advocates and others, often at odds, who’ve come together in crisis. Playing into that is justice reform’s continued bipartisan appeal. As Coke pointed out, state and local budgets face massive shortfalls, and the cost argument has a way of reconciling those who might not see eye-to-eye on the finer points of social justice. 

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