Ahead of the 2020 Census, Philadelphia legislators and activists are making a case for incarcerated individuals to be counted at their home addresses rather than at the prisons where they are being housed. 

Rep. Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia) introduced HB 940 in March that would amend Pennsylvania Election Code to count individuals incarcerated in Federal or State correctional facilities at their last known residence. The bill has 18 co-sponsors in the House so far. 

Prior to lighting the state Capitol Christmas tree, Gov. Tom Wolf shared a message of “counting our blessings” and sharing them with others throughout the year.

But a group of about a half-dozen protesters, opposed to some recently enacted policies in the state prisons, had another message in mind.

Just as Wolf began to speak, the protesters jumped up from a crowd of spectators, shouting imploring Wolf to “have a heart.” The group held up cards and a banner referring to Wolf as “the Grinch” because of current mail restrictions placed on all state correctional institutions.

While the president may have received mixed reviews for his claim that “attorney client privilege is now a thing of the past,” civil rights advocates are backing up Pennsylvania inmates on the same concern with legal action.

Two lawsuits were filed against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections this week by the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, a Philadelphia law firm, and three criminal justice reform groups. The lawsuits are in response to a new policy that resulted from the 12 day long September prison lockdown.

Hundreds of people bused into Harrisburg from across the state Tuesday in hopes of seeing the beginning of the end for life without parole in Pennsylvania.

But by the end of the day, they were marching around the Capitol in defiance, chanting, “Let our people go, or next election you will go.”

The advocates, many from Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, had gathered to watch a scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee vote on SB 942 from Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), which makes life sentence recipients eligible for parole after 15 years.

After 12 days the state prison system is no longer on lockdown.

Since August 29, Pennsylvania’s 24 prisons limited mail and visitors while revoking inmate privileges to deal with an outbreak of unknown illnesses to inmates and staffers.

From May 31 to September 1, more than 50 staff members and 33 inmates were taken to outside hospitals for treatment for exposure to illicit drugs. Subsequent tests showed synthetic drugs, including cannabinoids, as the cause in some of the situations.