Emma Hattemer is an intern with AFSC's New York Healing Justice Program and New Jersey Prison Watch. She is a recent graduate of the Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration in U.S. empire and peace.

Across the U.S., communities are advocating for the release of people in prisons, jails, and detention centers, where forced proximity to others and lack of adequate health are particularly dangerous during a pandemic. In New Jersey, eight people in prison have died from COVID-19. And at least 63 people in prison and 309 staff members have tested positive. Although New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order approving the release of certain people from state-run prisons to slow the spread, none have been released.