Senator Wiener's Statement on Governor Newsom's Announcement of Planned Release of Approximately 8,000 Incarcerated Individuals from California Prisons

Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) released the following statement regarding Governor Newsom's announcement that the state will release approximately 8,000 incarcerated individuals as COVID-19 rates soar in San Quentin State Prison.

"This is a positive step to address the COVID-19 humanitarian disaster unfolding in our prison system, and I’m appreciative that the Governor and prison officials are taking this horrific situation seriously. With that said, more work remains. California’s prisons were overcrowded and in urgent need of reduction before the pandemic, and that need is now even more acute. I look forward to working with the Governor and CDCR to address this crisis in a meaningful way."