The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced on Friday plans to expedite the release of as many as 8,000 inmates as the coronavirus pandemic rages on.
Why it matters: The state's government is facing increased pressure from lawmakers and activists to limit the spread of the virus among California's prisoners and prison staff, Politico reports.
What they're saying: "These actions are taken to provide for the health and safety of the incarcerated population and staff," CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz said in a statement. "We aim to implement these decompression measures in a way that aligns both public health and public safety."
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that prisons cannot release inmates who do not have anywhere to go when they return to society.
- “What I can’t do is release people to the streets and sidewalks and parks and benches and call that compassion,” Newsom said, according to Politico.
The big picture: The state prison system currently reports that 5,881 inmates have contracted the coronavirus, while 1,243 prison employees have been infected.
- More than a third of the inmates and staff at the San Quentin State Prison in the San Francisco Bay Area tested positive for COVID-19 as of July 4. Some officials have called it the worst prison health crisis in the state's history, according to NPR.
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