Efforts to Release Incarcerated from San Quentin Move Forward in Marin County Superior Court

“If the state cannot take care of the people in its custody – at the very minimal level of ensuring they stay alive – then the courts must act” said Danielle Harris, Managing Attorney in the San Francisco Public Defender’s Integrity Unit. “Reducing the prison population is the only safe answer. CDCR has demonstrated its inability to come up with a sufficient plan, and transferring people from one unsafe lockup to another is demonstrably not the solution. We are grateful that the Marin court agrees the issue is an urgent one. Our community partners stand ready to support any released folks through reentry.”

“This case is about saving lives, but it’s also about protecting human dignity and wellbeing,” said Mano Raju, Public Defender of San Francisco. “Every incarcerated person is suffering under the current conditions of confinement, with no end in sight. They have no human contact with loved ones, and their mental health is suffering in addition to the threat to their physical health. The only solution is to dramatically reduce the prison population through releases.”