The coronavirus pandemic affects us all and when it first arrived in the United States, people thought only the elderly were at risk. Since then, we’ve learned that while elderly and people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk, anyone can still get it. Populations at risk also include the homeless and the incarcerated, where they cannot take preventive measures such as social distancing and sanitizing often. Prisons are places where contagious viruses and diseases spread like wildfire. Healthcare professionals are particularly concerned about incarcerated youth.
According to the ACLU, “On any given day, nearly 60,000 youth under age 18 are incarcerated in juvenile jails and prisons in the United States.” This already comes with serious issues such as, “cutting them off from their families, disrupting their educations, and often exposing them to further trauma and violence – harms their development and has lifelong negative consequences.”
Now they are left to run the risk of transmission of this deadly disease. Prisons around the country are already battling outbreaks. NYTimes reported that young inmates are “pacing and praying,” seeking release to avoid catching the virus.
Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform are calling for protection for youth in custody saying, “Many detention and correctional facilities have not communicated with youths’ parents, except to tell them they cannot visit. We do not believe detention and correctional facilities are equipped to appropriately handle this crisis.”
If you are a medical professional, sign their petition to join them. And if you are not, you should still sign the petition to show your support! Their families are worried about them and imagine being a juvenile in detention during a pandemic, many of which suffer from mental health conditions.
Make sure to sign these other important petitions during this time as well:
This is a good time to reconsider our intake of animal products to stay healthy. Eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer and has many side effects.
Interested in joining the dairy-free and meatless train? We highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.
Catch up on our latest coronavirus coverage in One Green Planet, check out these articles:
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