COVID Is Skyrocketing in CA Prisons. Why Haven’t More People Been Released?

As coronavirus rapidly spreads through California’s overcrowded prisons, 400 people have tested positive for the virus at San Quentin State Prison.

Advocates and incarcerated people warn conditions behind bars make it nearly impossible to stop the virus once it enters.

Democracy Now! speaks with Adnan Khan, executive director of Re:Store Justice, an organization that advocates for policy and alternative responses to violence and life sentences.

He links inhumane prison conditions to the mass uprising in the streets against systemic racism and state violence.

“There are literally millions of people in prison based on the 'credible testimony' and written reports of the very police that we’re seeing brutalize protesters, brutalize and shoot at media and nurses during these peaceful protests,” he says.

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