Community Research via UNM CRP Graduate Students
Methods, Resources & Citations
Methods
For this research project, we gathered state data on COVID-19 handling practices and their impact on incarcerated New Mexico residents. Data on COVID-19 cases and procedures in state and federal prisons were available piecemeal via the NM Department of Health, NM Corrections Department, and NM State Legislature websites.
In addition to state resources, we utilized news articles and research reports from the Prison Policy Initiative, the Marshall Project, and the UCLA Law 'COVID 19 Behind Bars Data Project'.
These reports and sites pull data from state and federal agencies. For example, The Marshall Project partners with the Associated Press to source data, updated weekly, from state and federal prison agencies and Johns Hopkins University. Without these national organizations, an Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) request may have been necessary to acquire public information. ICE, the NM Corrections Department, and the Administrative Office of the Courts did not respond to our requests for vaccination rates and COVID-19 infection rates among staff and incarcerated persons.
We gathered qualitative data from two unstructured interviews with an incarcerated individual and a lawyer, as well as coverage of the New Mexico 'Free Them All' protests and rallies. Connections with the 'Free Them All' coalition and personal networks made gathering this qualitative information possible.
Due to the availability of information, we primarily focused our research on the conditions and COVID-19 protocols in state corrections facilities.
Resources
Resources on Mass Incarceration, Abolition & Covid-19 Research Reports
Reports & Databases
Books
We Do This Til We Free Us by Mariame Kaba
Shackled and Chained: Mass Incarceration in Capitalist America by Eugene Puryear
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The End of Policing by Alex Vitale (access the ebook here)
Haymarket Books -- Abolition Starter Kit - $50 for 5 books, including Miriame Kaba’s
The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save The Earth by The Red Nation
Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis (access ebook here)
If They Come in the Morning... Voices of Resistance by Angela Davis
Golden Gulag by Ruthie Wilson Gilmore (access ebook here)
Articles
Podcasts/Audio Shows
Citations
Sources:
ACLU (2021). Prisoners’ Rights. American Civil Liberties Union online. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org/issues/prisoners-rights
ACLU Staff (2011). Outsourcing Responsibility: The human cost of privatized immigration detention in Otero County. American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights. Retrieved from: https://www.aclu-nm.org/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/ocpc_report.pdf
Burki, T. (2020) Prisons are in no way equipped to deal with COVID-19. The Lancet. V395, 10234. P 1411-1412. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30984-3/fulltext
CDC (2020) Guidance for Shared or Congregate Housing. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/shared-congregate-house/guidance-shared-congregate-housing.html
Collins, T. (2021). Public Health Order New Mexico Department of Health Secretary Tracie C. Collins, M.D. New Mexico Department of Health. Retrieved from: https://www.cabq.gov/artsculture/documents/ncov-pho-amendment-20210409.pdf
Dunlap, S. (2020). During pandemic, a privately run detention center sought to find new migrants to detain. NM Political Report. Retrieved from: https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2020/09/14/during-pandemic-a-privately-run-detention-center-sought-to-find-new-migrants-to-detain/
Grisham, M.L. (2020) Executive Order 2020-021. State of New Mexico. Retrieved from: https://www.governor.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/EO_2020_021.pdf
Initiative, P. P. (2020, March). Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2020. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2020.html
Keil, R., Ali, H (2007) Governing the Sick City: Urban Governance in the Age of Emerging Infectious Disease. York University, Toronto, Canada. Journal compilation editorial board of Antipode.
KRQE Staff (2021). Study: New Mexico one of the most Covid-restrictive states. KRQE. Retrieved from https://www.krqe.com/health/coronavirus-new-mexico/new-mexico-one-of-the-most-covid-restrictive-states/
Lyman, A. (2020). Covid-19 in prisons NM Political Report Retrieved from: NM Political Report. Retrieved from: https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2020/12/27/2020-top-stories-5-covid-19-in-prisons/
Lyman, A. (2020). NM Supreme Court again faced with COVID-19 in prisons, Guv says there is not much else that can be done. https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2020/11/22/nm-supreme-court-again-faced-with-covid-19-in-prisons-guv-says-there-is-not-much-else-that-can-be-done/
Madridi, S. (2020). Some New Mexico prisoners released early due to Covid-19. KFOX 14. Retrieved from https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/new-mexico-prisoners-being-released-early-due-to-covid-19
Moore, R. (2020) 65 Covid-19 cases tied to private detention complex in southern New Mexico. El Paso Matters. Retrieved from: https://elpasomatters.org/2020/05/14/65-covid-19-cases-tied-to-private-detention-complex-in-southern-new-mexico/
NMCD (2021). Covid-19 Update. New Mexico Corrections Department. Retrieved from: https://cd.nm.gov/covid-19-updates/
NMSC Staff (2020). New Mexico Prison Population Forecast. New Mexico Sentencing Commission. Retrieved from https://nmsc.unm.edu/reports/2020/new-mexico-prison-population-forecast-fy2021---fy2030.pdf
The Marshall Project (2021). A state-by-state look at Coronavirus in Prison. The Marshall Project. Retrieved from: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/05/01/a-state-by-state-look-at-coronavirus-in-prisons
NAACP. (2021, May 25). Criminal Justice Fact Sheet. https://naacp.org/resources/criminal-justice-fact-sheet
Prison Policy Imitative (2021) The most significant criminal justice policy changes from Covid-19 pandemic. PPI. Retrieved from: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/virus/virusresponse.html
Wyland, S. (2020). Inmates sue prison, claim lack of Covid-19 safeguards. Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved from: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/coronavirus/inmates-sue-prison-claim-lack-of-covid-19-safeguards/article_ac22e1a6-3fbd-11eb-801f-c73b20168f8d.html
KRQE. (2020, April 25). Protesters meet in cars to call for more inmate releases amid health crisis. KRQE News 13 Albuquerque - Santa Fe. https://www.krqe.com/health/coronavirus-new-mexico/protesters-meet-in-cars-to-call-for-more-inmate-releases-amid-health-crisis/
Colton, H. (2020, May 1). #FreeThemAll Demonstrations Continue As State Slow To Release Prisoners. KUNM. https://www.kunm.org/post/freethemall-demonstrations-continue-state-slow-release-prisoners
State of New Mexico (2020). Executive Order 2020-021. https://www.governor.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/EO_2020_021.pdf
The State of New Jersey. (2020). Executive order No 124 | COVID-19. https://www.state.nj.us/corrections/pages/COVID19Updates.shtml#:~:text=In%20response%20to%20the%20COVID,not%20committed%20a%20serious%20offense
The State of New Jersey. (2020). Executive order No 124 | COVID-19. https://nj.gov/infobank/eo/056murphy/pdf/EO-124.pdf
O'Dea, C. (2020, June 5). NJ Supreme Court Gives Prisoners Right to Appeal if Turned Down for COVID-19 Release. NJ Spotlight News. https://www.njspotlight.com/2020/06/nj-supreme-court-gives-prisoners-right-to-appeal-if-turned-down-for-covid-19-release/
Tully, T. (2020, November 4). 2,258 N.J. Prisoners Will Be Released in a Single Day. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/nyregion/nj-prisoner-release-covid.html
Griesbach, R., & Williams, T. (2020, October 21). San Quentin Ordered to Reduce Prison Population by Half Over Virus Fears. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/us/san-quentin-prison-coronavirus.html
The Associated Press. (2021, May 1). 76,000 California inmates to be eligible for earlier release. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/76-000-california-inmates-be-eligible-earlier-release-n1266044
Office of the Inspector General. (2021, February) COVID-19 Review Series Part Three. https://www.oig.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/OIG-COVID-19-Review-Series-Part-3-%E2%80%93-Transfer-of-Patients-from-CIM.pdf
Chavez, N. (2021, February 5). San Quentin prison fined more than $400,000 after deadly Covid-19 outbreak. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/04/us/california-san-quentin-prison-covid-19-report/index.html
The Marshall Project. (2021, April 29). A State-by-State Look at Coronavirus in Prisons. The Marshall Project. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/05/01/a-state-by-state-look-at-coronavirus-in-prisons.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. (n.d) Population COVID-19 Tracking. https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/covid19/population-status-tracking/
White, J. B. (2020, July 10). California rushing to release 8,000 inmates as virus outbreaks grow. Politico PRO.https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/07/10/newsom-expedites-release-of-up-to-8-000-california-inmates-1299440
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. (n.d) FAQs: Expedited Releases. https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/covid19/frequently-asked-questions-expedited-releases/
Prison Policy Initiative (2021, April 6). Criminal justice responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Criminal justice responses to the coronavirus pandemic | Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/virus/virusresponse.html
NMCD. (2020, March 13). Probation and Parole takes preventative measures. Press Release. https://cd.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Probation-and-Parole-Changes.pdf
Prison Policy Initiative (2020, June 25). Failing Grades: States' Responses to COVID-19 in Jails & Prisons. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/failing_grades.html
NM Legislative Finance Committee. (2021, April). PERFORMANCE REPORT CARD: Fourth Quarter, FY20 Corrections Department. https://nmlegis.gov/Entity/LFC/Documents/Agency_Report_Cards/FINAL%20complete%20report%20card%20packet%20FY20%20Q1.pdf
Prison Policy Initiative (2020, December 8). Incarcerated people and corrections staff should be prioritized in COVID-19 vaccination plans. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/12/08/covid-vaccination-plans/
The Marshall Project. (2021, April 29). A State-by-State Look at Coronavirus in Prisons. The Marshall Project. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/05/01/a-state-by-state-look-at-coronavirus-in-prisons.
NM Department of Health. (2021). Public Dashboard NMDOH https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/public-dashboard.html
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NM Corrections Department. (n.d). https://cd.nm.gov/
Puryear, E. (2013). Shackled and Chained: Mass Incarceration in Capitalist America (1st ed.). PSL Publications.
Haywood, P. (2020, June 25). Nearly 80% of state inmates at Otero County Prison Facility infected. Santa Fe New Mexican. https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/coronavirus/nearly-80-of-state-inmates-at-otero-county-prison-facility-infected/article_ea83d514-b632-11ea-a1f3-d33423be2e8a.html
NM Department of Health. (2021, January 28). DOH Phase Guidance. https://cv.nmhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021.1.28-DOH-Phase-Guidance.pdf
Romero, S. (2021, April 14). How New Mexico Became the State With the Highest Rate of Full Vaccinations. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/14/us/new-mexico-covid-vaccines.html.
NM Department of Health. (n.d.). COVID-19 Vaccinations (12/14/2020-03/05/2021)https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t4ohC8ZMJ7O7cGTbfMaOXeE3dwrsr_Yf/view?usp=sharing
Bliss, K. (2021). Ice Refused Help in Containing Coronavirus in New Mexico Detention Centers. Prison Legal News. Retrieved from https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2021/feb/1/ice-refused-help-containing-coronavirus-new-mexico-detention-centers/
NMCD (2021). Covid-19 in New Mexico. New Mexico Corrections Department. Retrieved from: https://cd.nm.gov/covid-19-updates/
NMDOH (2021) New Mexico Covid-19 Updates. New Mexico Department of Health. Retrieved from: https://cv.nmhealth.org/2021/05/03/new-mexico-covid-19-update-685-new-cases-totaling-198372/
NMHED (2021). Covid 19 related News and Services. New Mexico Higher Education Department. Retrieved from https://hed.state.nm.us/covid-19-related-news