To prevent a coronavirus outbreak in jail, L.A. County is releasing some inmates

In an effort to ensure the novel coronavirus does not sweep through its jails, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is releasing certain inmates and citing and releasing people rather than arresting them.
"Our population within our jail is a vulnerable population just by virtue of who they are and where they're located," Sheriff Alex Villanueva said during a press conference Monday. "So we're protecting that population from potential exposure." So far, there are no confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the jail system.
Villanueva said deputies across the county have been directed to cite and release anyone whose total bail would be less than $50,000; because of this, arrests have dropped from a daily average of 300 to 60. Inmates with less than 30 days left to serve have also been released, dropping the county's jail population by more than 600, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Civil rights advocates and health officials say that even in the best of circumstances, jails aren't able to provide adequate medical care for all inmates, and a coronavirus outbreak could lead to bedlam. "Nobody should be detained for not paying a parking fee or because they are poor and can't make bail," Chris Beyrer, a Johns Hopkins University epidemiology professor, told the Times. "We need to be releasing these people yesterday."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozens
Speed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study finds
Speed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cows
Speed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study finds
Speed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addiction
Speed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pill
Speed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
California declares bird flu emergency
Speed Read The emergency came hours after the nation's first person with severe bird flu infection was hospitalized
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published