On June 3, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and members of the Madison Common Council wrote to Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney to ask that he considering placing incarcerated individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 into the healthcare system.

The letter is printed in full below.

Dear Sheriff Mahoney:

We write to you today to request that incarcerated individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 be placed in our local healthcare system for quarantine and proper treatment.

While it is a difficult and unprecedented time in our country, we know that the racial injustices that have been magnified once again by attention surrounding the death of George Floyd are not new.

Our request comes with great consideration to the long history of disproportionate incarceration of Black and Brown people in our county and across the nation, as well as with the disproportionate diagnoses and deaths of those same people here and elsewhere as a result of COVID-19.

Given the unknowns of the coronavirus, it is essential that these individuals be placed in quarantine, in an appropriate care setting, and given the resources to fully recover.
In efforts to prioritize public health and safety, we call upon you to place incarcerated individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 into our healthcare system to ensure their proper care and treatment, as well as the collective wellbeing of others by preventing further spread of the virus.

Sincerely,
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway
Council Present Sheri Carter
Alder Keith Furman
Alder Marsha Rummel
Alder Shiva Bidar
Alder Patrick Heck
Alder Grant Foster
Alder Donna Moreland
Alder Barbara Harrington-McKinney
cc: Dane County Board of Supervisors