Governor Josh Shapiro is reportedly supporting the idea of granting a medical release for a long-time incarcerated man. State officials say it would likely be the first time a sitting governor has explicitly endorsed this kind of appeal by someone in state custody. The law is one of the only methods available to people like Ezra Bozeman, who has been behind bars for 49 years and is said to have critical medical needs the prison system cannot provide. He filed a petition asking an Allegheny County judge to grant his transfer under Pennsylvania’s “compassionate release” law, a statute that purports to provide the sick and dying with a way to leave prison to receive care.
