People v. Multani

On January 17, 2025, Compassion & Choices (C&C), in conjunction with Prison Law Office (PLO), submitted a letter urging the California Supreme Court to review a case that could have a profound impact on who is eligible for compassionate release in the state. Under California law, incarcerated individuals with a “serious or advanced illness with an end-of-life trajectory” may be released early from prison so that they can access end-of-life treatments and die with the love and support of their communities.

The California Supreme Court is being asked to hear the case of California v. Multani, after the California Court of Appeal ruled that Mr. Multani was not eligible for compassionate release because his incurable, metastatic lung cancer was currently stabilized by treatment and therefore not on an “end-of-life trajectory.” In their letter, C&C and the PLO urge the California Supreme Court to reject the lower court’s narrow interpretation of “end-of-life trajectory,” arguing that it would result in more incarcerated individuals dying in prisons ill-equipped to handle their complex medical needs.

The elderly constitute the fastest growing age group in prisons, with the population of incarcerated people over the age of 55 growing by 500% in the last three decades. Incarcerated individuals experience physical health conditions at larger rates than the nonincarcerated population and require a level of care that prisons are not designed to meet. In fact, the State of California has just one prison hospice with 17 beds to address the end-of-life needs of a prison population of almost 100,000.

Unfortunately, the California Supreme Court denied to hear Mr. Multani’s petition on February 11, 2025. Compassion & Choices will continue to advocate for and protect access to compassionate release in the state.

Compassion & Choices believes that all indivdiuals deserve access to quality end-of-life care and the autonomy to make end-of-life decisions in line with their values, priorities, and beliefs. To learn more about our legal advocacy work, please visit our Legal Advocacy webpage