Jackson County jail releases 80 inmates as threat of coronavirus looms
Eighty people have been released from the Jackson County jail in response to concerns about the introduction of the new coronavirus into the overcrowded facility.
Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forté said 133 cases were sent to judges to be reviewed and 80 inmates have been released.
On March 19, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced it was minimizing bond conditions for defendants who don’t pose a public safety or flight risk.
The move was made to make space for defendants charged with violent crimes and to potentially prevent COVID-19 infections.
The prosecutor’s office said it is proposing a second list for judges to review.
Mary Fox, director of the Missouri State Public Defender’s office, said she applauded Jackson County’s actions.
“Every single time they release somebody during this virus, they’re looking at their humanity and they’re demonstrating concern for that individual’s health as well as for the health of their family members and the correctional officers and their family members,” she said.
On Thursday, Fox, along with nearly three dozen individuals and organizations, sent a letter to the Missouri Supreme Court urging certain inmates be released, including those serving misdemeanor sentences, defendants awaiting trial on nonviolent felonies and people with underlying health conditions.
“With the virus rapidly spreading across Missouri and the rest of the country, and people cycling in and out of city and county jails daily, it is a matter of when — not if — the virus will infiltrate Missouri’s jails,” the letter said.
More than 140 inmates in St. Louis are being released, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, and Fox said St. Charles County is taking similar steps.
However Fox questioned why some people were behind bars in the first place.
“This is a good opportunity for us to look at these folks who are being held in jail pre-trial, not convicted of any crime, and ask ourselves ‘Why are we doing this, why are we locking people in cages when they have not been convicted of any crime?’” she said.
According to the Jackson County jail’s website, more than 80% of its inmates were awaiting trial.
Though there have not been any reports of jail inmates contracting the coronavirus, one prisoner with the Missouri Department of Corrections and a juvenile at a Division of Youth Services facility have been infected.
More than 500 cases have been reported across Missouri and eight people have died.
