The Legal Aid Society, in a recently issued letter, called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to immediately release New Yorkers vulnerable to COVID-19 who are presently incarcerated in local jails based solely on parole warrants, many of which are predicated on non-criminal technical violations, reports the Queens Daily Eagle.

Such violations frequently involve minor infractions such as being late for curfew, missing appointments with parole staff, or failing to timely update contact information. Immediate release of these individuals is critical to combat the spread of COVID-19 as new troubling data show the pandemic surging again at a rates similar to those seen in New York City Department of Correction facilities earlier this year.

Earlier this year, two Legal Aid clients, Michael Tyson and Raymond Rivera, who were held in New York State Department of Correction and Community Supervision (DOCCS) custody on technical parole violations, passed away after contracting COVID-19. New York reincarcerates more people for technical parole violations than any other state in the country except Illinois. For years now, despite New York City’s declining jail population, people incarcerated for technical violations continues to increase. Lastly, like many other facets of New York’s criminal legal system, these violations overwhelmingly affect New Yorkers of color.

“We need Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, local District Attorneys, correction departments and other relevant actors to prioritize the immediate release of our vulnerable clients. Lives hang in the balance. Failing to swiftly and meaningfully act will perpetuate the spread of the virus to a point where it will be impossible to contain,” said Tina Luongo, Attorney-in-Charge of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society.