California To Release Another 8,000 Prisoners Amid COVID-19 Pandemic - CDCR

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is planning to release a further 8,000 inmates by the end of the summer as part of response efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the government agency said in a press release

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2020) The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is planning to release a further 8,000 inmates by the end of the summer as part of response efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the government agency said in a press release.

"Estimates of 8,000 inmates could be eligible for release by end of August, in addition to the state's reduction of about 10,000 persons since the start of the pandemic," the statement read.

According to CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz, such measures are taken to ensure the health and safety of prisoners and staff.

"We aim to implement these decompression measures in a way that aligns both public health and public safety," Diaz said, as cited in the statement.

The CDCR noted that only those prisoners whose sentence term expires in a year or sooner and who have no signs indicating a high risk of violent acts can be released. In addition, the release will not affect prisoners who are in jail for crimes related to domestic violence, violent crimes or illegal acts of a sexual nature.

The United States has 3.1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and over 134,000 related deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.