Crowded cells in jails across the U.S. could help the rapid spread of coronavirus, penal reform groups have warned. The Sentencing Project has called on public officials to release people in jail who do not pose a public safety risk, such as those housed in pre-trial detention or rehabilitated people. The Sentencing Project’s Nazgol Ghandnoosh said to Newsweek: Existing unsanitary and overcrowded prison and jail conditions will exacerbate the spread of the new coronavirus.