On April 1, 2020, the ACLU of Utah, the Disability Law Center, and the Utah Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys filed a Petition for Extraordinary Relief with the Utah Supreme Court demanding that state correctional facilities increase the release of incarcerated individuals to avoid unnecessarily heightened risks of serious harm from the COVID-19 pandemic while also ensuring safety for our communities outside of correctional facilities.
Download a copy of this Petition for Extraordinary Relief (PDF) (what we are asking for...)
Download the Memorandum of Points and Authority to Support the Petition (PDF) (how we support our argument...)
Read and FAQ about this Petition for Extraordinary Relief (PDF)
Download a copy of the press release (PDF)
PRIOR WORK / RESOURCES
>> Read a March 26 press release about the ACLU of Utah recommendations for Utah Sheriffs (Web) (PDF)
>> Salt Lake County Jail Dashboard (Web)
>> Are Our Prisons and Jails Ready for COVID-19? [ACLU National Prisons Project]
MEDIA COVERGE
>> "Davis jail employee tests positive for COVID-19, some others sent home to quarantine,"Ogden Standard Examiner, March 31, 2020
>> "This Utah man was released from the Salt Lake County jail, then a day later was hospitalized for coronavirus," Salt Lake Tribune, March 29, 2020
>> "Here’s what it’s like to be in Utah prisons during the coronavirus pandemic,"Salt Lake Tribune, March 29, 2020
