Advocates for the Incarcerated Call for More Early Releases Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Thousands of incarcerated people in California will be released early to avoid the spread of coronavirus, but some prisoner advocates say more inmates should be sent home and at a faster rate. Advocates fear that overcrowded state prisons and local jails could be the sites of the next major COVID 19 outbreak. Nonetheless, letting inmates go home — if they have a home to go home to — is not so simple, justice system officials say. We examine the challenges facing inmates and correctional facilities during the coronavirus pandemic.