The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is taking measures to reduce the population of inmates in city jails as fears of the coronavirus spreading among prisoners in the United States grows.
As of Monday morning, the inmate population had been reduced from 17,076 to 16,459 since the end of February, according to NBC News. Los Angeles Sheriff Villanueva’s department has granted early release to inmates with fewer than 30 days on their sentence.
“Our population within the jail is a vulnerable population just by virtue of who they are and where they’re located,” Villanueva said Monday during a press conference. “So, we’re protecting that population from potential exposure.”
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Villanueva has also asked officers to cite and release offenders in the city instead of arresting them for minor crimes. He said the department usually averages around 300 arrests per day, a figure that has dropped to 60 since the new policy went into effect.
Miriam Krinsky, executive director of the reform group Fair and Just Prosecution, told the Los Angeles Times jails are a potential “powder keg” of the COVID-19 virus.
“What the sheriff identified is a good first step but it can’t be the only thing that we do,” Krinsky said.
California, where Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, banned most visits to prisons last week.
Law enforcement officials in other sections of the country are taking similar precautions to protect vulnerable inmate populations.
In Ohio, a jail released dozens of inmates early.
Some U.S. lawmakers have advocated for the commuting of prisoners’ sentences, including Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who called for prisoners to be released for their own safety.
Another concern also sparked Villanueva’s decision: the safety of the officers in his department.
“Over the weekend, we’ve had several of our personnel come into contact, and they have been self-isolated,” Villanueva said. “However, fortunately, no one has actually tested positive for the virus.”
