While the coronavirus has been wreaking havoc on a global scale, impacting damn near everybody with varying degrees of severity, many American prisons have been hit particularly hard. It got so bad that Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered the temporary release of inmates amidst the pandemic, provided the following criteria are met: 

“[Inmates must be] non-violent and who otherwise would be eligible for release within the next 9 months or who are considered at high risk for complications of coronavirus and are within 12 months of their release.”

Montgomery County Correctional Facility/Getty Images

Despite his attempts to benefit from the order, Bill Cosby bid for temporary release has been officially rejected given that he was arrested for a crime of violent nature. A report from Deadline cites the District Attorney’s response, which confirms that “Mr. Cosby is not eligible under Gov. Wolf’s order since he was convicted of a violent offense (aggravated indecent assault) and was determined to be a Sexually Violent Predator.”

In response to the denial, Cosby’s publicist Andrew Wyatt acknowledged the nature of the crimes, but argued that other factors made his client a higher risk for the possibly-fatal virus. “With the surge of the COVID-19 plague and its effects on the health of the elderly, people of color and the fact that Mr. Cosby doesn’t have the luxury of social distancing (due to his blindness),” he reasons. “Makes him a candidate to be release and remanded to house arrest.”

At this point, Cosby and his team are waiting to see how Governor Wolf’s order plays out; should they feel the move is warranted, they may consider filing an appeal. 

[]