Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, today released the following statement in response to reports of an incident at the Bristol County House of Correction:
"The ACLU of Massachusetts calls for an independent investigation into last night’s incident at the Bristol County House of Correction. Matters like these require transparency in order to ensure trust in government during a pandemic. That is particularly true where the leader of that institution has been accused of personal misconduct during the incident.
"The ACLU of Massachusetts also calls on Governor Baker to use his executive powers to establish safe, humane, and transparent protocols to make universal testing available for all jails, prisons, and ICE detention facilities throughout the state.
"The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has an obligation to ensure basic human rights of people it holds in detention. During this time of pandemic infection, the state should allow people to safely self-isolate by releasing them or arranging for home confinement.”
