Harris, Sharma on Kansas City PBS TV ‘Justice Deferred’ Special Report

St. Louis Partner Reginald Harris and BCLP Concordance Fellow Jasmine Sharma were interviewed by Kansas City PBS station KCPT for “Justice Deferred,” a special report that aired Aug. 14 regarding the criminal justice system since COVID-19 forced the cancellation of most jury trials in March. Defendants have been sitting in jail cells across the country since then, with no certainty as to when a jury of their peers might be convened. Harris and Sharma recently co-authored an article titled “COVID-19: Incarcerated Clients, Prison Responses, and Reform Efforts” on the topic. “For reasons that are self-evident, prisons and jails can pose unique public health concerns during a pandemic,” they wrote. “Incarcerated individuals are one of the nation’s most underrepresented and impoverished populations. They also have limited access to health care. Cramped quarters, sanitation issues, compromised immune systems from drug use, and limited access to protective equipment for offenders and prison staff can make prisons and jails ‘petri dishes’ for the highly contagious virus.” Click here to view the video, with Harris and Sharma at approximately the 20-minute mark.