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Abstract: 

In late March 2020, counsel for the plaintiff class in Plata and Coleman urged a three-judge court to expand its emergency authority to reduce overcrowing, arguing that the coronavirus pandemic poses an unacceptable risk of harm to thousands of California inmates who remain living under conditions of significant overcrowding, particularly the tens of thousands living in close proximity to each other in overcrowded dormitories. This article summarizes the Emergency Motion, which asks the court to order defendants to release to parole or post-release community supervision those class members who (a) are at low risk as determined by CDCR’s risk assessment instrument or are serving a term for a non-violent offense; and (b) are paroling within the year. Within this group, people with six months or less to serve and people who are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should be prioritized.

Keywords: COVID-19 virus; Plata population reduction Order

Affiliations:  1: Executive Editor.