California to release 3,500 prisoners early amid coronavirus pandemic

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the prison system in the largest state in the United States plans to release 3,500 non-violent prisoners. According to reports, the prison system in California is planning to release thousands of inmates early in an effort to soften the blow from the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The announcement was made on March 31.

Inmates to be released in phases

As per reports, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has stated that the first batch of inmates to be released first will be those with less than 30 days left on their sentence. The next batch will be those with less than 60 days left to serve. Other states and prison systems in the US have also announced similar plans and schemes.

According to reports, US Attorney General Bill Barr requested federal prisons to free inmates in order to mitigate the effects of the virus. Under the attorney general’s plans, there are some 2,000 inmates that would qualify for early release. In a statement, Ralph Diaz, secretary of the California corrections agency has revealed that the decision to let the inmates out early was not taken lightly.

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As per reports, 22 employees and four inmates have already tested positive for the coronavirus and that the early release of the inmates will increase both the capacity and the physical pace in California’s prisons. Other measures have also been implemented by the prisons in an effort to control the virus, such as mandatory medical screenings for those entering the facility and the suspension of visitors.

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Reports have also indicated that inmates are being offered additional free phone calls in order to compensate for the loss of visitation. The policy of early releases has been met by its fair share of criticism. Critics of the policy claim that this policy will lead to dangerous criminals back on the streets.

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