Memo: California’s Sheriffs Must Do More to Save Their Communities from the Ravages of Coronavirus

By Jody David Armour Roy P. Crocket Professor of Law, University of Southern California and Jessica Pishko Senior Legal Counsel, The Justice Collaborative 

Executive Summary

California has quickly become one of the epicenters for the coronavirus pandemic. To date, the state has one of the highest infection rates and over 500 deaths from the coronavirus. The Center for Disease Control currently predicts that the United States will see around 200,000 deaths even if citizens practice “social distancing,” which requires that people maintain six feet of distance from others.

Yet, while Governor Newsom and local mayors have acted quickly to protect the general population by closing all non-essential businesses and ordering the nation’s first “stay at home” order, coronavirus is still spreading throughout California’s jails, despite the efforts by many to reduce jail populations.

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