Washtenaw County Jail operating below 50% capacity after coronavirus protocol changes
Updated Apr 10, 2020; Posted Apr 09, 2020
Washtenaw County Jail. MLive file photo.Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com
By Samuel Dodge | sdodge@mlive.com
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - The Washtenaw County Jail is operating at below half of its capacity, as the sheriff's office has instituted measures to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.
The jail is able to hold 404 inmates at any given time, but held 189 inmates as of Wednesday, April 8, said Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office spokesman Derrick Jackson. The sheriff's office was putting together a statistical breakdown of the severity of crimes the remaining inmates are accused of committing, Jackson said.
The number of people in the jail is "a record low for us," Jackson said, adding that the reason is two-fold: less face-to-face interaction between deputies and lesser offenders and new protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 .
"We are very much aware about not having as much face-to-face contact, so some of the traditional traffic stops, unless it's very egregious, I think we're seeing a lot less of that," Jackson said. "We are assessing everyone that goes to jail, whether it's a corrections officer, a deputy bringing someone in or a potential new inmate. Based on that assessment, they either go to the hospital or they are admitted."
There are no known COVID-19 cases in the jail or within the sheriff's office, he said. To continue preventing spread, the sheriff's office released an FAQ on protective measures being implemented. Other measures the sheriff's office is implementing at the jail include:
Increased cleaning efforts.
Identifying specific areas to quarantine and care for individuals mandated by courts to remain in jail.
Working with judges to review the cases of each incarcerated individual to possibly reduce sentences or lower bond.
With fewer people in jail, creating more space between inmates.
Limiting entry into the jail to essential staff and critical service providers, such as cafeteria staff.
Increasing the amount of calls inmates can make to attorneys or family.
The extra precautions were ordered by the sheriff and are in accordance with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's executive order to protect jail populations, Jackson said. The protocol shift also received input from the Washtenaw County-based advocacy group "Liberate Don't Incarcerate."
The anti-incarceration group listed demands to the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, as well as county courts and prosecutors, that included:
Ceasing detention of "anyone who does not pose a risk of serious injury."
Avoiding the jailing of inmates who exhibit COVID-19 symptoms.
Releasing people who are over 50 years old, are immunocompromised, are held on probation violation offenses or have less than six months left in their sentences.
Providing COVID-19 prevention items such as hand sanitizer for free.
Informing the public of any confirmed COVID-19 cases involving inmates or employees.
Deputies are already limiting arrests to more significant offenses, Jackson said, but even those people undergo medical assessment at a hospital.
"It's a case-by-case determination," he said. "(Whether or not they return to jail) is going to be based on if medical personnel say it's necessary or not for (inmates) to stay (in the hospital). If they do have to come back to jail, we do have a place to keep them from the general population."
"Liberate Don't Incarcerate" has been pleased overall with the initial actions taken by the sheriff's office, said spokeswoman Desirae Simmons.
"We're happy that the sheriff's office is making some moves," she said. "When we first emailed (Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton), he was very quick to respond and to share some of the things that are already in place. It's especially good to see the number of inmates are down."
The group is looking to hold Washtenaw County public safety officials to the full extent of Whitmer's executive order, which includes a push for early releases for medically vulnerable inmates.
"We would like to see agencies like the sheriff do all the things that are granted within that order, if not go further, considering that Washtenaw County is such a progressive model," Simmons said.
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