Released during COVID, some people are sent back to prison with little or no warning

Deputy Warden of Security Keith Eutsey, left, and Warden Bruce Chatman walk to the execution chamber along rows of barbed wire at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, in Jackson, Ga. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Eric Alvarez remembered what it felt like to hear his fiance was coming home from prison: overwhelming relief.

Alvarez has heart trouble and he’s struggled to take care of his four kids and his fiance’s daughter through their long separation. When Eva Cardoza returned from the federal correctional institution in Danbury, Connecticut, she shouldered a lot of burdens.

“She was doing everything at home. She was cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, helping them with homework,” Alvarez said.