Twitter founder Jack Dorsey announced he is donating $10 million to REFORM Alliance, a criminal justice reform organization, in a statement on Monday. The donation is intended to provide personal protective equipment to every prison and jail in the United States, Forbes reported.
“I’m grateful REFORM exists,” Dorsey said in the statement. “The criminal justice system needs to change. COVID-19 adds to the injustices, and REFORM is best suited to help.”
Prisons have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with data from the New York Times pointing to prisons and jails as eight of the top ten largest localized COVID-19 clusters in the US.
“The goal is to help ensure the incarcerated population, correctional officers, healthcare workers, & personnel working state, federal, & private facilities are protected from COVID-19 exposure,” Dorsey wrote in a tweet. The donation will come from #startsmall, the $1 billion philanthropic initiative Dorsey launched last month.
$10mm to @REFORM Alliance to get PPE to every prison and jail in America, all towards their mission of reforming the criminal justice system. Watch this and #AnswerTheirCall: https://t.co/z3GmNqz9jS
— jack (@jack) May 11, 2020
REFORM was founded last year Meek Mill, now co-chair of REFORM, was sentenced to two to four years in prison for violating parole.
“This generous donation from Jack and #startsmall is an absolute game-changer,” REFORM Alliance CEO Van Jones said in a statement. “Not only will this gift help us protect millions from the threat of COVID-19, but this level of support from a tech titan marks a turning point for the criminal justice reform movement. It’s truly an honor to call Jack an ally in this fight, be able to provide masks to every prison in America and potentially save tens of thousands of lives.”
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