Idaho tries to prevent coronavirus in prisons, jails after some states see outbreaks
For the people in custody at county jails and state prisons, social distancing isn’t an option.
To combat overcrowding and slow the spread of coronavirus, local prosecutors, county sheriffs and prison officials are making efforts to reduce inmate population in Idaho.
Both the Ada and Canyon County sheriff’s offices have said deputies are actively trying to cite and release more people for nonviolent crimes, rather than book them. The move comes as jails in other states have been forced to release inmates ahead of schedule to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Jails in other states, including California, Colorado, Ohio, Washington, Texas, Alabama, Florida, and New Jersey are also working to reduce inmate populations in county jails. New York state corrections recently reported that inmates and staff have tested positive for the virus.
The jails in at least Ada, Canyon, Blaine and Payette counties and the state prisons have stopped allowing in-person visitation, to prevent the public from possibly bringing coronavirus into the facilities.
The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office says it is working daily with law enforcement to balance victim and public safety with crowding issues.
“In order to make release decisions that do not jeopardize public safety, we are looking at the facts and circumstances of each case, criminal history of each offender and whether the victim or the public is at risk,” the prosecutor’s office said through its spokeswoman, Emily Lowe. “Our office is reviewing the daily arrests and, where the risk to the public is low, we are utilizing all tools available to reduce the jail population, such as pretrial release, in order to expedite release from jail.”
The 3rd Judicial District, which includes Canyon County, also extended the period of time that people have to complete their inmate labor detail. This means defendants who were ordered by a judge to complete sheriff’s inmate labor detail by May 31 will have an extra 60 days to complete the sentence. Canyon County’s work release inmates were released once the outbreak hit and must report back to the jail starting May 20.
The Idaho Supreme Court’s website has a variety of similar orders that other judicial districts have imposed since the state’s outbreak began.
Canyon County’s jail population was down to 355 inmates, as of Tuesday. That’s a drop from the 411 inmates it was housing on March 16.
The Ada County Jail was holding 954 inmates as of Tuesday. That’s a drop from the 1,054 people it held on March 16. In the prior 24-hour period, Ada County booked only four people into jail.
In Blaine County, which has the state’s largest outbreak of COVID-19, all visitation to the jail has been stopped, with the exception of legal visits. The sheriff’s office is no longer taking work release inmates or inmates serving weekend jail time.
The county is no longer holding inmates from other counties and it is taking extra precautions with inmates coming into the detention center. As of Tuesday morning, the Blaine County Detention Center was holding 57 inmates.
State corrections faces similar problems. For example, inmates have sued the Washington state Department of Corrections, alleging it needs to do more to prevent a coronavirus outbreak in prisons, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
The Idaho Department of Correction is responsible for the well-being of more than 9,500 inmates. On Monday, the department said it had set up special housing units for people in IDOC custody who are considered at risk of having serious health problems should they contract the virus.
“Access to these units is strictly limited, and the men and women who live in them are being closely monitored,” spokesman Jeff Ray said in an email.
In-person visitation has been stopped at the prisons. Instead, IDOC is providing inmates with two free phone calls or two free videograms or emails a week.
The prisons are monitoring inmates who come into the facility and sick staff members are provided paid time off.
IDOC is making plans to set up medical tents at the medical annex at Idaho State Correctional Institution, in Kuna, should the prisons have an urgent need for more medical beds, according to Ray.
For inmates who have court hearings in other counties, IDOC is working with judges to set up hearings over the phone or video calls, rather than transporting inmates to and from outside jurisdictions.
As of Tuesday, no inmates or staff had been reported sick with the coronavirus.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 1:07 PM.
