RBGG’s Michael Bien has provided extensive commentary to the media on legal efforts to reduce overcrowding in California’s state prisons and protect prisoners and prison staff from COVID-19. Some of the more significant articles are linked below.
After rampant COVID cases and mass vaccines, is California’s prison system nearing ‘herd immunity’, Mercury News, March 7, 2021
COVID-19 continues to roil California prisons, jails as officials face new criticism, Los Angeles Times, November 29, 2020
Letter to the Editor: Coronavirus in America’s Prisons and Jails, New York Times, November 21, 2020
Death rate from COVID-19 in prisons twice rate of general population, San Francisco Chronicle, September 2, 2020
Faulty thermometers, untrained screeners may have let COVID-19 into prisons, watchdog says, Los Angeles Times, August 17, 2020
Advocates fear resurgence of COVID-19 at crowded San Quentin prison, KTVU News, August 13, 2020
Amid COVID-19, California releases some inmates doing time for murder. Advocates push to free more, Los Angeles Times, August 9, 2020
COVID-19 Death Toll Reaches 22 at San Quentin Prison, The Crime Report, August 5, 2020
San Quentin faces California’s deadliest prison outbreak after latest Covid fatalities, The Guardian, August 4, 2020
How California reduced its prison population to a 30 year low, San Francisco Chronicle, August 3, 2020
More than 2,000 COVID-19 cases at San Quentin cause concern for Bay Area communities, KRON, July 27, 2020
Inmates witnessed a suicide attempt. They received coloring pages instead of counseling, Washington Post, July 26, 2020
California prisons must set aside space for COVID-19 patients, judge orders, Los Angeles Times, July 23, 2020
Federal judge orders California prisons to set aside COVID-19 quarantine space, Sacramento Bee, July 23, 2020
‘Historic health screw-up’: what you need to know about the COVID-19 crisis in California prisons, The Guardian, July 19, 2020
California prisons are COVID hotbeds despite billions spent on inmate health, KPBS, July 2, 2020
COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing in San Quentin, Corcoran prisons, Mercury News, June 22, 2020
As COVID cases at San Quentin increase, state to expedite parole, Marin Independent-Journal, June 18, 2020
18th California prisoner dies of COVID-19, KTVU Fox2, June 18, 2020
California letting out more prisoners over COVID in second wave of early release program, California Globe, June 18, 2020
Coronavirus outbreak at San Quentin prison triples in just 2 weeks after reckless transfer of inmates, San Francisco Chronicle, June 17, 2020
Coronavirus in jails and prisons, The Appeal, June 16, 2020
Increased testing reveals surging virus outbreaks at CA prisons, with more likely to follow, WitnessLA, May 31, 2020
In California’s crowded prison system, COVID-19 takes the vulnerable, San Francisco Chronicle, May 17, 2020
Federal judge refuses to release large number of California prisoners, San Francisco Chronicle, April 17, 2020
Prisoner advocates charge CA ‘shuffling deck chairs on Titanic’ during COVID threat, The Davis Vanguard, April 12, 2020
Judges deny request to remove California prisoners amid outbreak, Courthouse News Service, April 5, 2020
California to release 3,500 inmates early as coronavirus spreads in state prisons, Los Angeles Times, March 31, 2020
California to speed release of up to 3,500 inmates because of coronavirus, San Francisco Chronicle, March 31, 2020
Prison lawyers seek emergency orders on coronavirus, including release of inmates, Los Angeles Times, March 25, 2020
Attorneys ask federal judges for emergency release of California prison inmates amid coronavirus, San Francisco Chronicle, March 25, 2020
Civil rights attorney: Gov. Newsom needs to act immediately before COVID-19 overtakes prisons, Fox40 Sacramento, March 24, 2020