Virus Prompts Early Release of Inmates From Some U.S. Jails
Virus Prompts Early Release of Inmates in Southern California
(Bloomberg) -- Authorities in southern California and Brooklyn, New York, are taking steps to reduce jail populations, including by letting some inmates out early, as the coronavirus spreads.
The sheriff’s office in San Diego County is preparing to release an unspecified number of inmates early to free up beds for quarantine needs, a spokesman for the agency said late Monday, confirming earlier media reports.
In Los Angeles County, bail amounts are being adjusted so that fewer people are booked into custody, which is meant to lower the chances of the virus being introduced into the jail system, according to the sheriff’s office. In addition, the sheriff has begun releasing early some inmates who had fewer than 30 days remaining in their sentences, according to BuzzFeed.
Of the 16,459 inmates in Los Angeles jails Monday, there were zero confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to the sheriff’s department website. Nine inmates are in isolation housing and 26 inmates are in quarantine at two facilities.
Across the country, in Brooklyn, authorities also expressed concern for limiting risk in prisoner populations. In a tweet on Tuesday, District Attorney Erik Gonzalez asked defense attorneys to “alert us to clients in pre-trial detention who are vulnerable to infection and who we should consider releasing during this crisis.”
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