More Than 5,700 Californians in County Jails Held For Longer Than a Year While Awaiting Conviction or Sentence

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KQED

News Commentary, News, Politics

4.2 • 727 Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2021

⏱️ 28 minutes

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Summary

At least 5,796 people presently detained in California county jails have waited more than one year for a conviction or sentence. At least 1,300 of these inmates have been incarcerated for three or more years, with more than 300 waiting for more than five years. And the backlog has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 44,241 people in total mostly people of color currently awaiting convictions or sentences in California county jails. That's all according to a new report from CalMatters, which spoke with incarcerated persons, crime victims and impacted family members. We'll speak with CalMatters' Robert Lewis about his report. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:33.6	... From KQED Public Radio in San Francisco, this is Form. I'm Scott Schaefer, and today from
0:48.9	Mina Kim. Coming up, county jails are intended to hold people not yet convicted of a crime for relatively
0:55.2	short periods of time.
0:57.4	But a new analysis by CalMatters found that more than 44,000 people are being held in
1:02.6	California jails without being convicted or sentenced to prison.
1:07.2	Most are people of color, men especially, and we'll find out what's behind the numbers and how the pandemic has made things worse.
1:14.3	Then we'll talk with the author of a story about how Facebook and Instagram are tailor-made for COVID-19 conspiracy theories.
1:21.8	All that coming up next on Forum right after the news.
1:38.9	Welcome to Forum. I'm Scott Schaefer in today for Mina Kim. Well, as you may know,
1:47.0	every county in California has jails where people arrested or held while they await trial or sentencing or a relatively quick release. But a new study by CalMatters found that more than 44,000 people in California are being held in jails without being sentenced or convicted.
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