Oklahoma state Rep. David Rader (left) used the term yellow families to describe Asian Americans during a recent forum on racial inequity. His language offended Rep. Cyndi Munson (right)
By Keaton Ross | Oklahoma Watch Jun 4, 2021
5 hrs ago
Michael Washington holds a sign with the number of an inmate who was infected with COVID-19. Washington, who was incarcerated in the 1970s and helps inmates with legal paperwork, joined a small crowd outside of the Department of Corrections Oklahoma City headquarters in December to protest prison conditions. Whitney Bryen / Oklahoma Watch
Looking to prevent widespread COVID-19 outbreaks behind bars, corrections officials in several states moved quickly in 2020 to release medically vulnerable and nonviolent prisoners.
Wisconsin freed 1,600 people from its prisons from March 2 through May 4, 2020, most of them serving time for parole and probation violations. The Iowa Department of Corrections approved the release of 700 prisoners on March 23 of last year.