Officials in Connecticut announced that all front-line staff and incarcerated people in state prisons and jails will be tested for COVID-19. Supreme Court Emergency Administrative Order 11, issued on May 7, allowed courts in counties with one or fewer COVID-19 deaths per month to resume jury summonses on or after May 18. So far, there are no known cases of coronavirus at the detention center. As of the first week of September, 46 health care staff positions remained unfilled, including one psychiatrist, four mental health nurses, five substance abuse counselors, two mental health specialists, and three psychiatric aides. The public defender’s office had filed an emergency petition arguing that the release of 76 people would decrease health risks for incarcerated people, correctional officers, and the general public. A new investigation found that 36 D.C.-sentenced prisoners are held at the federal prison complex in Butner, North Carolina, which has seen more than 700 COVID-19 cases and ten deaths. “It really has been a trend. Brimmer’s order was the first intervention from a Colorado judge into correctional facility procedures related to COVID-19. While the team launched their rowboat, and fought their way through the wild waves, the villagers waited restlessly on the beach. Governor DeWine also asked federal authorities to halt the intake of new incarcerated people at Elkton. At Michigan’s Macomb Correctional Facility, a mistake in sorting test results may have exposed COVID-negative incarcerated people to infection. Twenty-five staff members at the Tutwiler Women’s Correctional Facility in Wetumpka have confirmed infections, but only eight women incarcerated there have been tested. The order also directs the presiding judge in each judicial district to submit a plan for how to reduce their local jail populations, and make reductions where possible. Medically vulnerable and elderly people in Utah prisons have started receiving the coronavirus vaccine, and all residents are eligible in the next phase of the state’s vaccination plan. On June 15, Governor Brown asked for case-by-case reviews of just 100 people, or roughly 0.67% of the state’s prisoners. Since March, more people than usual have been released on their own recognizance, and some who would normally be jailed for a misdemeanor or DUI have received a citation in lieu of arrest. Sheriff Tom Dart urged county officials to transfer people off of electronic monitoring after a certain period so bracelets could be used for currently incarcerated people, and a spokeswoman for Chief Judge Timothy Evans said judges could work with attorneys to identify people who could be safely removed from electronic monitoring. The story quite simply shows how badly the Texas parole system is broken. The Bureau of Prisons’ nationwide positivity rate is 28.6%. The case at Easterling was also identified and confirmed at an outside hospital. The first 50 people to be furloughed under New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s executive order were approved this weekend. Five people held in Texas jails have died. Officials in Riverside County, California, have produced a written course of action to limit the spread of COVID-19, including a promise to provide regular updates. Warren Tribune Chronicle: Pandemic in Prison: Unsanitary conditions, fear of reporting described at facilities, The Catholic Spirit: MCC: Protect vulnerable in midst of COVID-19. Once thriving centers of Black-owned businesses are seeing a revival. Missouri is the only state that has specifically designated incarcerated people among its lowest priority populations. As of last week, only one person from the facility has been hospitalized. J. Clark said the additional space has improved living and working conditions. Officials credited declining crime, bail reform, and the shutdown of courts during the COVID-19 pandemic for the reduced levels. “If we put the same restrictions around people’s insulin and blood-pressure pills, people would be dead in the street.”. That may be an undercount; the investigative team at the Orlando Sentinel, which examined parole and death records, was unable to identify 21 people who have died more recently. After a federal judge ruled that incarcerated people were eligible for CARES Act relief checks, the South Carolina Department of Corrections posted informational brochures and distributed forms in each of its 21 state prisons, providing guidance on applying for Economic Impact Payments. “It started out really scary, but I do believe we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel because everything appears to be rolling along pretty smoothly.”. Their order provides for expedited motions for pretrial release and allows people to cite coronavirus in a request to reduce or eliminate bail. Nearly 300 people serving less than year-long sentences for misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies will be released from Rikers Island or other city correctional facilities within a few days, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week. After negotiation with the attorney general’s office and the Department of Corrections, a joint list of 52 people deemed appropriate for immediate release was submitted to the court. Less than one half of 1% of people held in Arizona prisons have been tested for COVID-19. As of Sunday, 412 state detainees and 275 federal detainees had tested positive. Funds will be used to provide additional support for people with substance use and mental health disorders who are transitioning from jails and prisons, and will support access to Opioid Treatment Programs in areas that have been heavily impacted by coronavirus. All had tested negative for COVID-19, but some of those tests were conducted weeks before the transfer was executed. Phase 3 is scheduled to begin July 20, with courts fully open to the public. The Washington Post: ‘No such thing as social distancing’ when you’re incarcerated. “I can’t stress enough how cooperative the system partners have been to facilitate this,” Ashley said. The money will be used for scholarships for students in need of financial aid. “It’s not just about compliance with the law in Illinois,” said Marlena Jentz, assistant executive director of programs at the Cook County Sheriff’s office, “but it’s also about social justice, it’s about fairness, it’s about hope.”. Since mid-January, at least three people who were held at the St. Clair County Jail in southern Illinois have died after contracting COVID-19. Two hotels near the Oakland airport are being used to house homeless people who have been released from jail under emergency orders. All have recovered. At the Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby, Montana, 239 incarcerated people have tested positive for coronavirus, up from just 18 on October 6. Two more people incarcerated at FCI Oakdale in Louisiana have died of COVID-19, and the Bureau of Prisons announced that people in the facility who exhibit symptoms will no longer be tested, but will be presumed positive. A report from the Washington ombuds office found that missteps by prison administrators likely worsened the outbreak at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center. “Contact with friends and family is so important to the prison population,” said Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington. “The worst person who can catch this is a kitchen officer,” Carlos Garcia told Tucson’s ABC15. Judges, law enforcement, and attorneys must work together to identify and create an action plan to address this issue.” The Arkansas Board of Corrections voted unanimously to provide expedited parole consideration for 114 people. Early efforts at reducing the spread of infection were complicated by overcrowding: the facility is at 137% of capacity, and officials were unable to isolate people who were positive and asymptomatic. Hawaii spent $36.2 million last year to house people at Saguaro, and State Representative Takashi Ohno, chairman of the House Committee on Corrections, Military, and Veterans Affairs, said they were reevaluating the relationship. “Not only did we find that most states actually released fewer people, we also saw reports of parole boards opting to delay hearings instead of shifting to video hearings.”. work through the backlog with reduced staff. He also asked to be allowed to release people who were at higher risk for serious illness. Beshear commutes sentences of additional 352 state inmates in response to COVID-19, More than 2,000 people held at the Bledsoe County Correctional Complex in Tennessee were tested for COVID-19—576 came back positive. These numbers are likely an undercount, as many states do not require employees to be tested or to report their test results from outside medical providers. Twenty-six employees of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) have tested positive. Staff at the Oahu Community Correctional Center, Hawaii’s largest jail, reported that newly admitted people are still not being isolated for 14 days, and residents are being moved around the facility in ways that could contribute to the spread of infection. Other prisons and jails in those three states, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Illinois, were also linked to more than 1,000 cases each. Others inside the jail lacked adequate cleaning supplies and training to disinfect communal areas, bathrooms, and cells. Attorneys toreport on infection control protocols at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix. “By using those tele-med and tele-psych services, we’ve been able to eliminate backlogs and still provide safe and effective care to our inmate population through the COVID-19 pandemic,” he told the committee. County officials worked to rapidly reduce jail population levels, move residents into single cells, and create greater social distance in dormitories. Senior Warden Michael Crow has also strictly enforced infection control protocols: providing adequate soap and surface cleaners, enforcing social distancing, and immediately testing and isolating people when coronavirus was suspected. Tier 1 is limited to health care workers, first responders, hospitalized patients, residents of long-term care facilities, and people connected to cluster investigations. Criminal justice reform will also play a role at the ballot box: 63% of those polled said they would be more likely to vote for a congressional candidate who supported reforms. The drug court in St. John’s County, Florida, was not designated as a critical part of court operations, but has continued programming through the COVID-19 crisis. The three-member board has denied release in 85% of the cases they’ve reviewed. They started screening new admissions three weeks ago, and have taken steps to reduce face-to-face interactions. “Basically, it’s a way for inmates that don’t have money in their accounts to reach out and contact their families once a week,” said Warden Christian Smith. Visits will cost $3.20, will be limited to 20 minutes, and should be scheduled online two to three days in advance. More than 300 state corrections employees have tested positive for COVID-19, but most have recovered and returned to work. Dr. Christopher DiGiulio, chief of medicine for the Corrections Department, said the design of the prison was one of the most challenging aspects in managing the outbreak. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said Wednesday that people in the state’s prisons should receive the coronavirus vaccine before the general population. “It creates kind of an unsafe environment in the facilities,” said McLellan. County-level incarceration reductions sped up after an order from Supreme Court Justice Matthew Durrant, who directed judges to reassess all people held on class B or C misdemeanors for potential release. The facility reported 294 cases on Thursday, up from 131 on Wednesday. Funds will help pay for UV disinfecting lights and sprayers, and reimbursing prior sanitization costs. All of the people who tested positive have been in medical isolation since June 15, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s office. The Department of Corrections identified 2,836 people who were medically vulnerable or near the end of their sentences and were not convicted of Measure 11 offenses. The jail population in New Mexico dropped by one-third between March 13 and May 27, according to the New Mexico Association of Counties. At least 16 of the nearly 200 men transferred from the California Institute for Men in Chino to other state prisons have now tested positive for COVID-19. They recommended a COVID-19 questionnaire be added to jury summonses, including a question allowing people aged 60 or older to request excusal due to infection risk. Unions representing 2,500 corrections officers, subcontracted healthcare workers, and social workers called on judges to release incarcerated people in Philadelphia as a “common sense” measure to protect workers and the community from the spread of COVID-19. Corey Trammel, a union representative for the facility’s correctional officers, said he had asked for specialized medical teams to deal with the outbreak and more robust protective gear, particularly for staff who are transporting people to hospitals. Staff will also be required to identify medically vulnerable people during admissions, and take additional steps to safeguard them from infection. U.S. District Court Judge Edgardo Ramos ordered a full inspection of the Metropolitan Correctional Center by a qualified medical expert. Some of the newly issued warrants were related to traffic tickets dating back to the mid-1990s. The proclamation is in effect through May 14. The CDC previously defined close contact as spending 15 consecutive minutes within six feet of an infected person. The Associated Press: Criminal Records Shut Small Biz Out Of Aid Program, A 49-year old man held at the Green River Correctional Complex (GRCC) became the first person in Kentucky’s state prison system to die as a result of COVID-19. As of Thursday, 611 incarcerated people had active infections, and nine were hospitalized. All incarcerated people at Federal Correctional Institution Berlin who had tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered and are transitioning out of isolation, according to prison spokesman Aaron Posthumus. Officials have installed plastic shields in public areas and courtrooms and made hand sanitizer readily available. denied a motion to release a person from the county jail, state facilities are on a modified lockdown, bail reform allowed him the space to create a 14-day quarantine facility, commuted the sentences of more than 450 people. “The health of our inmates and staff is a top priority and we continue to take proactive steps to mitigate the spread of the virus,” said Director David Shinn. Of the 2,351, more than 90% were incarcerated for violent offenses. “As we mourn this loss,” the ODRC wrote on its Facebook page, “we recognize the sacrifices that are being made by our front line staff in the midst of this pandemic.” In Washington, Berisford Anthony Morse died Sunday; he was the first state correctional officer to die from complications of COVID-19. 1828 confirmed cases among people incarcerated at MCI and 109 among staff. Public-facing services have been consolidated on the first floor, which has been marked enforce social distancing guidelines. The budget framework also includes closing the Shutter Creek Correctional Institution and the Warner Correction Correctional Facility. With the help of many city and state agencies, the Virginia Department of Health, and the Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, we are safely providing the best possible care.”. State law gives a person in custody the right to a trial within 60 days of arrest. Morse joined the Department of Corrections 17 years ago, and worked at the Monroe Correctional Complex, where nine employees and 18 incarcerated people have tested positive for coronavirus. At the Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson, Louisiana, 331 of nearly 900 tests for COVID-19 came back positive. As of Saturday, there have been no cases of COVID-19 among people incarcerated at the DCDC—one staff member tested positive but returned to work on May 1 after recovering. The Delaware Department of Corrections has seen a 10% drop in the number of people incarcerated since the onset of the pandemic. Instead, check-ins can be completed by phone, email, or video chat. Police in Springfield, Missouri, closed the police station lobby to the public, citing “a staffing shortage, made worse recently due to the impact of COVID-19.” In Howard County, the sheriff’s office has been closed since Thanksgiving, with staff limited to one part-time and two full-time deputies, working from their cars and homes. Prison staff and people held by the Rhode Island Department of Corrections have begun receiving the coronavirus vaccine. Florida did not release people from prisons to help control the spread of infection, a preventative measure adopted by 29 other states. The Pritzker administration is facing a lawsuit accusing it of not acting quickly enough to prevent the spread of disease in prisons, and calling for broader releases. Oregon Governor Kate Brown has asked state and local corrections officials for information on incarcerated people who could be safely released early. Missouri started testing all incarcerated people and staff at adult prisons on Tuesday, with the assistance of the Missouri National Guard. Rabner also worked with Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to relax limitations on benefits provided by the Violent Crime Compensation Act. The council said a statewide policy was no longer appropriate, but that individual counties may continue the bail policy “where necessary to protect the health of the community, the courts, and the incarcerated.” Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye also ended her order extending the time allowed for arraignment, and reinstituted the requirement that people be brought before a judge within 48 hours.After nearly three months, visitation will resume Monday at the Snyder County Prison in Middleburg, Pennsylvania. “Expensive home monitoring fees create unnecessary impediments,” County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said, ”and the elimination of home monitoring fees will better allow these residents to support themselves and their families.”, The North Carolina Department of Public Safety may offer incentives for incarcerated people who choose to receive the coronavirus vaccine. The Supreme Court is accepting public comments through June 18 on the proposed changes and will decide whether to adopt them later this month. All people living or working at the Northampton County Prison in Easton, Pennsylvania will be tested for COVID-19, aided by $200,000 in CARES Act funding. The Yaphank jail population dropped 56.2%, going from 666 to 292. Officials were concerned about the spread of infection after a significant outbreak at the California Correctional Center in Susanville, which serves as a training center. The two minimum-security prisons account for half of all confirmed cases among incarcerated people in the state prison system. Since the onset of the pandemic, at least 5,296 people held in state prisons in Kentucky have contracted COVID-19, and 39 have died. Screening protocols were put in place on March 4, and in-person visits were suspended on March 13, though incarcerated people were offered four free phone calls per week. “If you are living with schizophrenia and you’re going to the doctor and you’re not able to explain exactly what’s going on with you physically, it’s probably very difficult for that practitioner to treat you,” said Wendy Burch, executive director of the New York chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation released a redacted version of its coronavirus response plan, including guidance to employees in the event of an outbreak. After a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling earlier this month, 367 people have been released from state prisons and county jails. People with disciplinary issues in prison or convictions for violent crimes were not among those being considered for early parole. Those who are charged with nonviolent offenses or victimless crimes will be recommended for an “appropriate non-incarcerative disposition,” or for release on recognizance or other non-monetary condition. Populations were also combined from different facilities, without regard for security designation, and complicating quarantine procedures. Both had spent more than a decade with the TDCJ. This is the first confirmed case in the Oregon prison system. “In an institutional setting, I don’t think there’s any question: you have to go in there are you have to test everybody,” said Ardis Watkins, head of the State Employees Association of North Carolina. “But we are just trying to minimize the people coming through the jails and the criminal justice system.”, Statement: COVID-19 Relief Legislation Phase III Must Contain Reduction In Incarceration. Service members will not be armed or work in security, but instead will work in the prison infirmary and bring equipment and ambulances. Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued a proclamation temporarily suspending the statute of limitations for any crime. “it’s really a kudos to him.” Jail employees and first responders are consistently tested, but incarcerated people are only tested if they are symptomatic or have been in contact with someone who has been infected. Mass testing also revealed a major outbreak at the Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater, Michigan. Judges, staff, prosecutors, defense attorneys, defendants, and witnesses can appear electronically, and measures are available to protect the confidentiality of participants when needed. People incarcerated at the Chesterfield County Jail have a separate holding facility at the courthouse to prevent exposure to coronavirus. Visits will be by appointment only, must be arranged through individual facilities, and will not be permitted in facilities on “Red Status” or undergoing significant outbreaks of COVID-19. Ellison’s order requires TDCJ to provide unrestricted access to soap and water and sufficient cleaning supplies to all incarcerated people, and to provide hand sanitizer to people who use a walker, a cane, crutches, or a wheelchair. Since the onset of the pandemic, North Carolina’s prison population has declined by 16%, and is now at its lowest level since October 1994. People held in the state’s prisons are 242% more likely to contract the virus, and 268% more likely to die than the general population. In St. Officials plan to install additional cameras in other high traffic areas within the two jails. “Certainly if Congress extends coronavirus relief package that does further provide money for a few more months to reimburse counties for the cost, but that only puts off the inevitable.”. The Colorado Department of Corrections confirmed four additional deaths of incarcerated people last week, bringing the total of COVID-related fatalities among state prisoners to 24. “You have all of these men confined together in a space where the coronavirus is running rampant.”. Florida has thesecond-highest number of cases of any correctional system in the country, behind only Texas; and has the fifth-highest case rate, behind Arkansas, Tennessee, Idaho, and New Jersey. “When we’re talking about our general population, many of those people have been in here for many months, long before COVID-19 ever broke out,” said Burkholder. “It’s hard to fight a case forever,” Muldrew said. “We’re grateful to Gen. Van McCarty and the National Guard for this collaboration in helping us keep staff and offenders safe during this unprecedented time,” Department of Corrections director Bryan Stirlng said. Meanwhile, the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, which provides public defense for juveniles in New Orleans, has asked judges to reconsider their clients’ sentences, but the court has yet to schedule a hearing. “Now that an uptick in positive cases is occurring, it is prudent to stop the program, until we know which direction the trend is going, particularly here in Nebraska.” There have been 58 confirmed cases inside the corrections system, 10 among incarcerated people and 48 among staff. “But family members should know we are doing everything we can to keep their loved ones safe.”. Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo told the Connecticut Mirror that COVID-19 should be first and foremost when prosecutors are taking a position on a defendant’s bail. required the Orange County Jail to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Officials from the BOP said each person was screened and temperature checked before boarding the flight, when the plane landed, and upon arrival at FCI Gilmer, and that none of them were symptomatic. The county already faced a backlog from court closures after Hurricane Harvey, and jury trials have been delayed until at least October. All of them came back negative, aside from one mislabeled specimen that was not tested. “This pandemic has been hard on everyone involved – staff, offenders, and their loved ones – and we are grateful for everyone’s patience of the past six months,” said Tim Moose, chief deputy secretary of state corrections. 432 Likes, 4 Comments - George Mason University | GMU (@georgemasonu) on Instagram: “"As a freshman at Mason, I had difficulties being on my own for the first time. Along with reduced court access, defense attorneys are facing new challenges, like bringing translators into telephonic court proceedings, and getting sheriff’s offices to set up video conferences for their incarcerated clients. Mississippi prisons have some of the lowest known infection rates in the country, but new data suggests that may be driven by low levels of testing, rather than low levels of infection. In Virginia, the Richmond City Jail held a town hall for incarcerated people with Richmond and Henrico Health District Director Dr. Danny Avula. Most of the people held at the minimum-security prison are scheduled to be released within the next four years. No one being recommended for release has been convicted of violent or sexual offenses, and none has any serious rule violations during their incarceration. County judges held special sessions this weekend to expedite cases—settling with guilty pleas, releasing people on pretrial home confinement, or transferring them to prisons. A court hearing on an emergency motion to provide broader releases and protective measures for older or medically vulnerable people is scheduled for Thursday. Maine does not have parole, and in order to be considered for early release, a person must be classified as minimum security, be within 18 months of release, and have finished at least half of his or her sentences. The facility in Pocatello, Idaho can hold up to 333 people, but held 250 as of Wednesday. “The entire DOC staff and especially our Emergency Operations Center team took proactive steps to protect both staff members and the persons in our care,” said Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr. “We want to confirm our zero COVID-19 status,” DOC Director Bob Lampert wrote. “I feel like they put us out there for a dollar a day to keep them safe,” said Natasha Purvis, who was on the cleaning crew. A 2014 federal court decision requires people to be transferred from jails to either Western or Eastern State Hospital within 14 days of being found not competent to stand trial. Some incarcerated people reported not receiving food for nearly a full day, and being left in buses for seven to eight hours without access to bathrooms, instructed to throw cups of urine or used tampons out the window. The group's leader said of Jan. 6, "We need a little bit more of that energy.". Only one city—Atlanta—saw an increase in jail population. “It’s trying to reduce the amount of inmates and staff moving within the facilities,” said Sheriff Gene Conway.