As the novel coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the United States, multiple high-profile criminals and accused criminals have asked to be let out of prisons early.
COVID-19 has infected hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and has already hit US prisons. It is currently spreading across New York's infamous Rikers Island, and smaller facilities in Texas, South Dakota, and Michigan have reported cases.
Counties and states have started releasing hundreds of inmates from jails and prisons in New Jersey, Cleveland, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and more. But the federal prison system has not taken similar measures.
Public health and corrections officials have issued warnings over current prison conditions and the possibility of COVID-19 spreading in such facilities, but no decisions have been made as to whether or not high-risk inmates will be released.
In the meantime, some well-known inmates — including Michael Cohen and Fyre Festival's Billy McFarland — have asked to be released citing concerns of the virus and, in some cases, long-lasting health problems.
Tekashi 6ix9ine is the most famous inmate to be released already. He cited his asthma, which puts him at higher health risk for COVID-19, as a reason to spend the rest of his sentence at home. Cohen, too, is set to be released, according to his lawyer, though it's not clear when he'd get out.
At least one other high-profile inmate — a parent who pleaded guilty in the college admissions scandal — has also already been released, but many others will likely remain behind bars.
Here are some of the most high-profile inmates asking to be released.
This article has been updated.
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