ALBANY — In a pouring rain, protestors honked horns and flashed signs outside the Executive Mansion on Tuesday to demand Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo grant clemency to inmates with compromised immune systems as COVID-19 case are continuing to increase in New York prisons.

Three advocates spoke at the rally but many more blared car horns to voice their support to releasing more inmates. The governor already authorized the release of hundreds of parolees, who were jailed for technical violations, in response to the pandemic.

The coronavirus has infected 219 inmates, killing five. Sixty-two prisoners who were infected have recovered and are out of isolation. COVID-19 has infected 813 state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision employees (two deaths) and 35 parolees (four deaths), the agency's website states.

"There are those who are in prison right now who are dying. People are contracting COVID and they're dying," said Thomas Kearney, a regional coordinator for the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign and a former state prison inmate. "COVID plus prison equals death."

He said the governor's efforts must go "a hell of a lot further" than what the state has already done.

Prisoners are quarantined for at least 14 days if they test positive for COVID-19. Prison officers, parole officers and civilian staff all must wear face masks while on duty. Inmates have been provided with face cloth coverings.

In a statement, Melissa DeRosa, secretary to the governor, noted DOCCS lifted all technical parole violation warrants for inmates who pose no threat to public safety. On April 14, the agency began releasing prisoners with 90 or fewer days left on their sentence, are 55 or older and whose underlying crime was not a violent crime or sex offense.

State officials say they have identified 171 more inmates for release in the coming days.

Three of the prisoners who died were at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Westchester County, where 43 inmates have contracted the coronavirus (13 recovered). Other deaths of inmates were at Otisville Correctional Facility (eight infected, three recovered) in Orange County and Queensboro Correctional Facility (no other cases) in Long Island City, Queens.

Other prisons with high numbers of COVID-19 include Fishkill in Dutchess County (45 infected, 10 recovered), Bedford Hills, a women's prison in Westchester County (21 infected, four recovered), Wende (23 infected, 11 recovered) in Erie County, Green Haven (18 infected, seven recovered) in Dutchess County and Great Meadow in Washington County (10 infected, three recovered).

"How many more must die?" Kearney asked. "Five is too many. Not one more!"

Jolene Russ of Schoharie County, whose husband is an inmate in Elmira Correctional Facility, said social distancing does not exist in prison. She said she understands prisoners still must eat, recreate, shower and go to commissaries in close proximity to other inmates.

"Our prisons have become nursing homes," Russ told reporters. "The governor will tell you that COVID in a nursing home is like fire to dry grass. In these prisons COVID is like like fire to dry grass as well."

Advocates, who also protested outside Bedford Hills and Otisville prisons, were with various groups including Parole Justice Albany, Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration, the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, Parole Preparation Project, VOCAL-NY, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, New Hour for Women and Children Long Island and New York Communities for Change.

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