Judges balk at mass release of California prisoners over virus danger

But a panel’s ruling leaves the door open to cutting the prison population if the state doesn’t mitigate the threat from the coronavirus.

A panel of federal judges has rebuffed a bid to order a mass release of California prison inmates in an effort to reduce the danger posed by the coronavirus.

The three-judge panel did not rule out the possibility that lawyers for inmates could eventually win a court-ordered reduction in the state’s prison population of roughly 120,000 to allow more social distancing, especially for elderly prisoners and those with pre-existing medical conditions.

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