COVID-19 And Your Rights

As we face the COVID-19 crisis together in South Carolina and across the United States, it is essential that all government officials follow public health experts' recommendations to help ensure a response plan that protects the health, safety, and civil liberties of all. Any response to this pandemic should be grounded in science and public health, not politics or xenophobia.

The ACLU of South Carolina is watching closely to make sure that the government's response is scientifically justified and no more intrusive on civil liberties than absolutely necessary. In this and all times of crisis, it is critical that "We The People" truly means all of us.

On May 20, we released "We The People" Means All of Us: A Blueprint for COVID-19 Relief in South Carolina. This blueprint outlines our recommendations for COVID-19 relief that addresses the needs of those at greatest risk for disproportionate negative impact.

Our recommendations center on three primary goals:

  1. Protect Incarcerated People
  2. Ensure Access to the Vote
  3. Minimize Disproportionate Negative Impacts for Historically and Structurally Oppressed Communities

The list below outlines some of the more specific ways we are addressing these goals.

Documents

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Press Release
Apr 09, 2020
COVID-19 RESPONSE
  • Criminal Justice

ACLU of South Carolina Demands Prison Reduction Plan in Response to COVID-19

Issue Areas: Criminal Justice
News & Commentary
Apr 01, 2020
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Probation and Parole Officers Should Do Their Part to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in South Carolina

According to a statement released by the National Association of Probation Executives and 50 current and former probation and parole executives from across the country, probation and parole agents should “do all [they] can in this crisis to make sure [they are] not inadvertently spreading the COVID-19 virus.”As the number of South Carolinians infected with COVID-19 continues to grow, it is imperative that the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services (DPPPS) do their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the criminal justice system.We sent a letter today calling on DPPPS Director Jerry Adger to enact the following policies, also recommended by the Vera Institute of Justice:
News & Commentary
Mar 28, 2020
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SC Corrections Officials Must Respond to COVID-19 With Transparency

As the number of South Carolinians infected with COVID-19 continues to grow, we must focus on efforts to protect the health and well-being of all people housed and working inside South Carolina correctional facilities. An outbreak inside these institutions will be immensely difficult to contain and will compromise broader public health through transmission from employees who enter and exit the facilities on a daily basis.As of March 27, the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) has reported that one of its guards tested positive for the virus. Now more than ever, SCDC and other state corrections institutions must increase transparency and accountability to a response grounded in science and public health.  Last week, the ACLU of Ohio asked Governor DeWine and the heads of Ohio’s state prison and youth systems to publicly answer several questions on a daily basis to ensure transparency and provide reassurance to the loved ones of corrections employees and incarcerated people. In less than twenty-four hours, the governor and state corrections agencies began posting the requested data and updating it daily. We are following our Ohio colleagues’ lead. Yesterday, we issued a request to SCDC, the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, and Governor Henry McMaster to answer the following four questions daily on their public websites: 
News & Commentary
Mar 25, 2020
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ACLU-SC Launches COVID-19 Email “Hotline” to Monitor Response in SC Prisons and Jails

Today we launched [email protected], an email hotline designated to receive information about violations inside South Carolina correctional facilities related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyone with information about abuses in South Carolina prisons, jails, and detention centers should email the hotline. So that we can respond effectively and efficiently, please include the following information in your message: