Attorneys urge Gov. Newsom to stop involuntary transfers from San Quentin prison After a Federal Judge ordered the population of San Quentin State Prison to be reduced by 50% in order to protect people from the coronavirus which has claimed the lives 28 incarcerated people and 1 corrections officer at the facility, advocates learned that...Read More

Amid virus outbreaks, majority of medically high-risk prisoners were not considered for release In an SF Chronicle Exclusive, Nora Mishanec reported that despite calls from health officials and activists to reduce the state prison population in the midst of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, the state did not prioritize the medically-vulnerable who are often older and...Read More

Grand jury indicts SFPD officer in connection with 2019 shooting Megan Cassidy reported in the SF Chronicle that a grand jury had indicted SFPD Officer Christopher Flores for shooting Jamaica Hampton while he was on the ground after another SFPD officer had shot him on a Mission District street. The injuries resulted in Jamaica Hampton...Read More

Bob Egelko reported in the San Francisco Chronicle on the latest development in an ongoing joint class action lawsuit against I.C.E. regarding its response to the COVID-19 pandemic at two California immigrant detention facilities. On December 3, 2020, Federal Judge Vincent Chhabria called the conduct of officials at I.C.E. and GEO Group – the private...Read More

December 3, 2020 MEDIA CONTACTS: San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org, (628)249-7946 ACLU SoCal Communications & Media Advocacy, communications@aclusocal.org, 626-755-4129  Court Slams ICE for Handling of COVID at Mesa Verde Blistering Order Cites Lies and ‘Deliberate Indifference’ to the Safety of Detainees SAN FRANCISCO — In a blistering federal court decision handed down today on the treatment of people...Read More

November 18, 2020 Press Contact: SF Public Defender’s Office – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 San Francisco Public Defender Launches “CopWatch SF” Database to Ensure Public Access to Available Police Records SAN FRANCISCO – This morning, the San Francisco Public Defender’s “CopWatch SF” database went live, making available hundreds of public records about police and sheriffs. What...Read More

Lisa Fernandez of KTVU FOX 2 reported: California ICE detention center officials ignored COVID-19 protocols: attorneys after attorneys in the ongoing Zepeda-Rivas class action lawsuit against ICE discovered new documents showing how staff at the Mesa Verde detention center in Bakersfield, CA – operated by the private prison corporation GEO Group – failed to follow...Read More

Nico Savidge reported for the San Jose Mercury News: Prop 25 failed, but California’s fight over cash bail is far from over – Case before state Supreme Court could overhaul bail system critics say is unjust. He interviewed San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju about the future of bail reform. The Humphrey case, which will...Read More

November 11, 2020 PRESS CONTACT: Valerie Ibarra – SF Public Defender’s Office – (628)249-7946 New Documents Reveal ICE and Private Prison Contractor Exacerbates a COVID Outbreak at Immigration Detention Center Hid Risks to Immigrants In Grave Danger Due to COVID Pandemic, Misled Court SAN FRANCISCO – Last night, detained immigrants held at the Mesa Verde ICE...Read More

November 5, 2020 San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju’s Statement on Election’s Implications for Criminal Justice Reform in California “2020 has been a year of divisive politics and a national reckoning with racism, police brutality, and systemic injustice. However, this week there was consensus across California: voters made clear their desire to continue on a...Read More