DE Lawmaker wants task force to study COVID-19 in prisons

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A state lawmaker in Delaware said he plans to introduce a measure that would establish a task force to study how prison officials are handling the coronavirus pandemic.

The Delaware State News reports that Rep. Sean Lynn hopes the measure will alleviate complaints and concerns he’s received over the past 10 months. Lynn shared emails from attorney Steve Hampton who has represented inmates before. Hampton’s emails alleged that inmates are kept in buildings lacking heat and are denied medical care. Correction Commissioner Claire DeMatteis denied those claims. She described them as containing a “litany of falsehoods.

However, she also said that the agency “has never sugarcoated the immense challenge” of mitigating the coronavirus in prisons.

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