By WEIHUA LI, BETH SCHWARTZAPFEL and MICHAEL R. SISAK, Associated Press
It wasn’t long after Matthew Reed shoplifted a $63 set of sheets from a Target in upstate New York that the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a standstill.
Instead of serving a jail sentence, he stayed at home, his case deferred more than a year, as courts closed and jails nationwide dramatically reduced their populations to stop the spread of COVID-19.
But the numbers have begun creeping up again as courts are back in session and the world begins returning to a modified version of normal. It’s worrying criminal justice reformers who argue that the past year proved there is no need to keep so many people locked up in the U.S.
You can see the eight Democratic candidates debate on TV, listen on the radio or stream then squareoff here at 7 p.m. Thursday. The 90-minute event, sponsored by THE CITY, NY1 and WNYC/Gothamist, comes two days before early voting starts.
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