The coronavirus outbreak at San Quentin State Prison is now in the rearview mirror. State officials say there is currently just one active case in the prison. But the earlier outbreak led a state appeals court to issue a scathing ruling Tuesday, calling the prison's safety measures "morally indefensible."
The court ordered that half of the 3,500 people incarcerated at the prison be transferred or outright released.
The unprecedented ruling comes after months of public outcry over the cramped conditions and apparent lack of action by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at the Marin County facility, leading to the state prison system’s worst coronavirus outbreak.
Twenty-eight prisoners have died from COVID-19.
A staggering 75% of the inmates have reportedly tested positive for the virus.
Almost 300 staff members have also been inflected, with one death among them.
"We agree that respondents - the Warden and CDCR - have acted with deliberate indifference and relief is warranted," explained the ruling from San Francisco’s 1st District Court of Appeal.
The ruling went on to call the COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin "the worst epidemiological disaster in California correctional history." It calls for "no more than 1,775 inmates" to be left in the prison following the required action.
No cases were reported at the prison until sick people were transferred there from another prison in Chino.
"CDCR has taken extensive actions to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic," Spokeswoman Dana Simas told the San Francisco Chronicle.
An appeal is expected, however, some believe this ruling could serve as a benchmark for moving prisons forward as the coronavirus pandemic persists.
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