SAN FRANCISCO - Lawyers for 42 men incarcerated at San Quentin are suing for their immediate release as well as a 50%-reduction of the prison population there, citing the "infamous botched transfer" and handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, the San Francisco Public Defender's Office announced on Monday.
As of Monday, San Quentin had about 3,100 people in custody and San Francisco Asst. Public Defender Danica Rodarmel said she wanted that number to drop to at least 1,550.
To date, 26 people at San Quentin have died of coronavirus. “It’s time the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation be held accountable for the harm that they have caused - just like the 100,000-plus people in its custody have been," Rodarmel said. "It is.