California freeing 18,000 prisoners for public 'health and safety'

California will release 18,000 prison inmates for the sake of public "health and safety," according to state officials.

The Washington Examiner reportedthe inmates are to be released by the end of August to "slow the spread of COVID-19."

"These actions are taken to provide for the health and safety of the incarcerated population and staff," said Ralph Diaz, the secretary for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

"We aim to implement these decompression measures in a way that aligns both public health and public safety."

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The release is based on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's declaration of a state of emergency in March.

Of the 115,000 inmates in the state, about 2,400 have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to officials, and at least 31 have died from COVID-19 related illnesses.

The Examiner cited a study conducted by UCLA and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It found U.S. prison inmates tested positive for COVID-19 at a rate 5.5 times higher than that of the general public. However, California prisons have fared better.

The state prison system operates 35 adult detention facilities, four youth facilities and 44 conservation/fire camps.

Two groups are ineligible for release, officials said: those convicted of violent crimes and registered sex offenders.

The released prisoners will be under community supervision for the remainder of their terms.

The Gateway Pundit blog noted Newsom this week closed down indoor dining, theaters, bars, museums and zoos due to an increase in coronavirus cases.

He also ordered a shutdown of churches, hair and nail salons, gyms, indoor malls in dozens of counties.

While there is no end date to the lockdown, Newsom has declared Black Lives Matter protests are permitted, the blog pointed out.