On April 1, 2020, to slow the spread of COVID-19 the Federal Bureau of Prisons announced its first nationwide lockdown in almost 25 years and some state prison systems followed the federal government's lead by enacting complete or partial lockdowns. Solitary confinement, also called restrictive housing, became the first line of defense against the virus. But advocates and researchers believe that detention centers need safe alternatives to solitary confinement because of the long-term, harmful effects of isolation. How can we help them fight for our incarcerated neighbors?

After a 17-year hiatus, in the summer of 2020, Attorney General William Barr announced that the U.S. government would resume federal executions. Two people, Brandon Bernard and Alfred Bourgeois, were executed the week of December 7, 2020 as a result of this federal action. Three more people face execution before President-Elect Biden assumes office in January 2021. In a nation conflicted by issues of racial justice, freedom, and the protection of civil liberties, several questions have emerged: What is the threshold for the death penalty? Is it the commission of a crime? Simply being present at the scene of a crime? Hiding evidence? Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative says, “I think the threshold question is, ‘Do we deserve to kill?'”