Health Care Workers Call on Governor to Slash California Prison Population in Half

Hundreds of health care workers are calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to cut the state prison population in half and to stop all transfers of inmates and staff within the state’s 35 lockups to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

In an open letter published Monday, more than 750 doctors, nurses and front-line workers wrote, “We realize that you may face political pushback but we urge you to listen to public health experts, look at the data, and act with courage to do what is right.”

The letter comes as four more people incarcerated at San Quentin died over the weekend from what appear to be complications due to the coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 47 inmates.

Around 7% of the state’s prison population has tested positive for COVID-19, with more than 1,800 active cases in the system currently.

The state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is expected to release up to 8,000 incarcerated people by the end of August, roughly 7% of the prison population.

UCSF medical student Sheyda Aboii, a member of the student-run group White Coats For Black Lives that authored Monday’s letter, says CDCR needs to expand the eligibility criteria for releases to include people aged 50 and older.

Aboii said research has shown that the stress of incarceration ages people at an “accelerated” rate “to the point where individuals are more medically vulnerable than their equally aged counterparts in the general community.”

UCSF infectious disease physician Peter Chin-Hong called prisons “a petri dish for COVID-19” and warned that prison staff moving in and out of facilities could infect the general population.

“The way we've emptied out stadiums, schools, and houses of worship — that’s what we need to do for prisons to reduce circulating viruses in our community," said Chin-Hong in a statement.

— Shannon Lin (@Linshannonlin)