Ted Deutch Bill as Part of COVID-19 Stimulus Package to Save Lives and Millions in Taxes, According to Squire Law Group

MIAMI, March 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As Senate leaders and the Trump administration are nearing the COVID-19 stimulus resolution, Senator Ted Deutch is pushing for inclusion of his bill that could save thousands of lives and hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars. Under the bill, which unanimously passed in the House of Representatives last year, H.R. 4018, nonviolent elderly offenders would be released early to home detention.

Senator Ted Deutch's office stated in an exclusive commented to Squire Law Group on March 24, 2020:

"Congressman [has] been working with several members in the House, House Leadership, and the Judiciary Committee to have the language included in the stimulus.  He has strong concerns for the health and safety of people should a coronavirus outbreak occur in a prison or jail.  The virus would quickly overwhelm a facility's health system and endanger elderly people confined at the facility ? both prisoners and staff.  Staff infections would then bring the virus into the communities."

In addition to addressing the health and safety of the most vulnerable prisoners during the COVID-19 crisis, the bill would substantially ease the burden on American taxpayers, according to Squire Law Group, a firm dedicated to providing pro bono representation of federal prisoners, among other services. The Bureau of Prisons has "spent approximately $881 million [ ] to incarcerate aging inmates" in a single year, according to the Office of the Inspector General. With COVID-19 expected to spread rapidly within crowded prisons, healthcare costs to the government could skyrocket.

The Trump administration received widespread bipartisan praise for signing the First Step Act into law in 2018, thereby surpassing efforts by prior administrations. Trump's landmark criminal justice reform legislation also reduces substantial healthcare costs to the government. But under the Elderly Home Confinement Program, which is part of the Act, the Bureau of Prisons unexpectedly decided to exclude earned prisoner credits in its calculation, thereby making it substantially less effective. Senator Deutch's bill to correct this problem has been stalled by "a handful of lawmakers" since November 2019, but it is now more critical than ever.

Advocates, such as the ACLU, have recently called out for mass prisoner releases. Other countries have already taken drastic measures. Among them is Iran, which recently mass released 85,000 inmates. Deutch's proposed fix as part of the stimulus could save thousands of lives and lift substantial weight off the American taxpayer's shoulder during these difficult times.

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SOURCE Squire Law Group