The nation’s overcrowded prisons and jails have been hotbeds of coronavirus infections and deaths. In California, a new report from the inspector general found that multiple state prisons risked thousands of lives in rushed transfers of inmates with COVID-19, among other oversights. It comes as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announces that 40% of its inmates have been vaccinated. Today on Insight, corrections during the pandemic, what that looks like in the state, and how prisons are managing the health of inmates and staff.
Today's Guests
- Los Angeles Times Reporter Anita Chabria on prisons and jails in the state amid the pandemic, the inspector general’s recent report on poor oversight in correctional facilities, and the news of 40% of inmates in California being vaccinated
- Los Angeles Democratic Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo discusses the legislative push to stop deportations and jail and prison transfers to ICE, and the ongoing issues with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- UC Hastings College of the Law Professor Hadar Aviram explains the state of private prisons nationwide and in California
- We Are Their Voices Founder Renee Benavidez on the prison reform needed during this time and the value of connecting prison inmates with families