#KeepThemHome: Activists & netizens urge Joe Biden-led Govt to let prisoners stay at home

After the Biden administration signalled that thousands of federal inmates on home detention will return to prison, several social media users expressed anger and urged the US President to let the low-level criminals stay at home. The New York Times last week reported that Biden’s legal team has determined that thousands of federal inmates who are currently on home detention will be returned to prison a month after the state of emergency for the pandemic ends. As per the report, since April 2020, nearly 5,000 inmates in federal prison have been transferred from prison to home detention. 

'Outrageous' to send inmates back

However, now they are being called back to prison to finish their time as the pandemic is on a low level in the country. This has angered several criminal justice reform activists and netizens. While taking to the micro-blogging website, activists started using #KeepThemHome to request the Biden administration to allow people to finish their remaining jail time in form of house arrest. 

"NOTHING is better for public safety than supporting people who have navigated the system, come home, and succeeded - that is the best possible outcome," Joshua B. Hoe, a policy analyst tweeted. Experts believe that if the criminals have followed all rules of house arrest and have shown good progress in behaviour, then they should be allowed to complete their remaining time in the same atmosphere rather than being thrown back into jail. One user even said, “It would be absolutely outrageous to send the 5,000 people released during the pandemic back to prison”. 

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the movement came into being after a memo was issued by the US Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel that stated that inmates whose sentences extend beyond the "pandemic emergency period" will have to return to jail to complete their remaining terms. Thousands of inmates have returned home, have jobs, have reintegrated with their families and now might have to return to prison. If inmates are to return, the BOP will be asked to make a judgement call on whether some will just continue on home confinement because it might not make sense to return them to prison. 

(Image: AP/Twitter)