“Norfolk’s jailers have freed hundreds of inmates because of the coronavirus pandemic, far more than other lock-ups in the region.
Roughly 250 of the nearly 900 inmates in the Norfolk jail two weeks ago have since been released, though new arrestees have taken some of their places. On Wednesday, there were 787 inmates inside, an 11 percent drop.
Other jails in the area have also been releasing similar types of inmates — those convicted of non-violent crimes with less time left on their sentences. But Norfolk has released the most, by far. The Chesapeake sheriff has released the second highest number — 38 inmates. Sheriffs in Newport News and Hampton haven’t freed anyone because of the pandemic.
Letting inmates out is a gamble. No one in Virginia’s prisons or jails has tested positive for coronavirus, although state officials said the Department of Corrections hasn’t tested any prisoners. Jail administrators have tried to keep it that way by diverting some inmates they would normally put behind bars, while screening and quarantining those they still have to lock up .
But officials fear an outbreak could ravage a jail, spreading quickly in close quarters amongst an especially vulnerable population, and then overwhelming the facility’s limited medical resources.
They’re not alone. Across the country, public health and corrections officials have issued dire warnings that cramped and unsanitary conditions could turn prisons into a haven for the virus, endangering not just inmates but also corrections officers and prison health-care workers as well as their families and communities, according to The Washington Post. New Jersey began freeing hundreds of prisoners last week and officials in the federal prison system are coming under increased pressure to do the same.”