OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Inmates in Washington prisons are asking the state Supreme Court to order the release of prisoners at risk from coronavirus.
Columbia Legal Services, a nonprofit that advocates for social and economic justice, filed a petition on behalf of a group of inmates with the high court.
The petition warns that virus outbreaks in the prisons would be devastating and says all inmates over 50, those with underlying medical conditions, and those who are due to be released within 18 months should be freed now.
Gov. Inslee’s office says he is aware of the issue and takes it seriously.