Like you, we at the ACLU of North Dakota have been watching closely as COVID-19 news changes by the hour.

We are committed to doing everything we can to help secure the health, safety, and civil liberties of all people who call North Dakota home, and believe that any response to this pandemic must protect vulnerable people and be grounded in science and public health. In this time of crisis, we wanted to give you more information about what we are doing and what you can do to help make our communities safer.

What We Are Doing

People in our prisons and jails, many of whom are older or have serious medical conditions, are highly vulnerable to outbreaks of contagious illness. Releasing as many people as possible will be critical to ensuring not only their health and safety, but also that of everyone who works in our prisons, their families, and all of our communities.

The North Dakota Parole Board mitigated the state’s prison population in response to COVID-19 and released 56 people in a special meeting earlier this week. In Grand Forks, qualifying non-violent inmates have been released on bond as the jail attempts to reduce its population in preparation for a possible outbreak.

But more can be done.

That’s why the ACLU of North Dakota has contacted Gov. Doug Burgum, the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the North Dakota Sheriffs & Deputies Association, urging them to heed public health experts’ advice and immediately release individuals in detention who are at high risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19. 

In the letter, we specifically called on:

• Gov. Doug Burgum to grant commutations to anyone identified by the CDC as particularly vulnerable whose sentence would end in the next two years, to anyone whose sentence would end in the next year, and to anyone currently being held on a technical (crimeless) supervision violation.
• Police to stop arresting people for minor offenses and in other circumstances issue citations in lieu of arrest so that people can return home, balancing the need for arrest with the overwhelming public safety concerns presented by coronavirus.
• Prosecutors to avoid cash bail requests and move for release in all but the very few cases where pretrial detention is absolutely the least restrictive means necessary to ensure a person’s return to court. They should also institute a review-and-release protocol in cases which bail was already sought in the past 30 days and the person is currently detained.
• Judges to allow anyone with an open criminal case and upcoming hearing the chance to voluntarily waive that hearing or conduct that hearing via telephone or video conference.
• Sheriffs to ensure that facilities are as empty, safe, and clean as possible and that hygiene products are free and readily available to incarcerated people and staff.
• Probation and Parole Agents and Parole Boards to expedite and expand release opportunities for incarcerated people, reducing the population in prisons as recommended by health experts. Boards should institute a presumption for release for all people who have a parole hearing scheduled in the next two years.

What You Can Do

If we can reduce the number of people in our prisons and jails, we can save lives and help slow the spread of the virus across the state. The governor, your state legislators, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the North Dakota Sheriffs & Deputies Association can make the biggest impact on the number of people kept behind bars during this crisis. You can help protect people who are incarcerated and our communities from COVID 19 by calling on these people to do everything in their power to reduce the number of people in our prisons.

• Contact Gov. Doug Burgum
• Contact your state legislators
• Contact the Department of Corrections and Rehabilatation
• Contact the North Dakota Sheriffs & Deputies Association

We deeply appreciate the efforts so many state officials are already making, but we need to do more, and they need to hear from you. Please these officials and ask them to do everything in their power to reduce the number of people in our prisons in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

For tips on writing an advocacy letter, check out our resources here.

What’s Next

These are unprecedented times and we don’t know exactly what will happen next, but we will continue to fight for the most vulnerable people who call North Dakota home and watch closely to ensure North Dakota’s response is no more intrusive on civil liberties than absolutely necessary. We will keep you updated as we learn more from our elected officials and we will continue to find ways that we can stand together in this time of crisis.

We send our heartfelt wishes that you and your family remain safe and healthy in these very difficult times.

Right now, we are living in some pretty uncertain times. The daily news rolling in plagues communities and workplaces (with some of us now officing at home) with worry and many unanswered questions. So, what now?

One thing we should all remain certain of is the reality that our communities need to heal and rebuild outside of COVID-19. We must continue strengthening our peers and changing the political makeup of today. The work toward equality and fairness cannot cease simply because our lives, for the most part, are moving onward indoors.

Each of us who are able must remain vigilant advocates for whatever issue or issues matter most to us and adapt to doing so from home.

Here are a few ways to do just that:

Fill out your census form

• Participation in the Census by everybody makes for a healthier democracy. If people are not counted, their communities will receive less representation in government and fewer resources.
• Census data informs our nation’s most important decisions, including how the federal government spends $900 billion on critical services like building roads, providing for health insurance, and supporting education. More information here.

Write your Representatives and Senator to check in now that legislative session is over

• If you’re tired of seeing bills proposed by your lawmakers that don't help North Dakotans email your them right now and share you’re going to the ballot box with their voting history in mind. Just be sure to research how your lawmakers voted first. Tips and tricks here.

Set up phone calls or Zoom chats with folks in your community to prep for what’s next

• Right now, everyone might be sequestered to their houses, but that doesn’t mean planning for the future is out of the question. Set up a time to chat with your friends, neighbors, or colleagues and formulate a plan of attack for when it is safer to congregate publicly to tackle your plans for advocacy. Sign up for a free account here. 

If you can, watch the news

• Keep informed on what's happening out in the world so you can keep ahead of issues in your community and know when to act. Just make sure your sources are credible. We recommend outlets like the INFORUM, NPR or your local public radio station. 

Get your family involved where it is appropriate 

• We know that advocacy comes in all forms and quite frankly, is appropriate for nearly any age. Whatever work you do, be sure to get your family involved – even the little ones! Check out our ACLU coloring pages below that can be printed off on demand. They’re perfect décor for your fridge or home office.
  
  Once colored in, post a photo and tag our Facebook page and encourage your friends to do the same.

We'll get through this, North Dakota.