Fresno County jail releasing some inmates early, preparing for coronavirus outbreak
The Fresno County jail has been releasing low-level inmates in preparation for a potential outbreak of coronavirus.
A judicial order gave the jail the authority to release inmates whose sentences were due to be complete within the next 30 days.
Since the order took effect on March 23, there were 230 eligible inmates, said Tony Botti, Sheriff’s spokesman . As of Tuesday, 207 inmates, described in jail records as “general order early release”, had been cut loose over the last 72 hours.
Botti said Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims began releasing the lowest level offenders first and doing it on a case-by- case basis.
“The biggest reason for doing so is to create extra space in the jail should we need to create quarantine areas,” Botti said. “We are not to that point, but want to pre-plan and have areas available if coronavirus were to enter the jail and we needed to quarantine inmates.”
So far, no jail inmates have tested positive for the highly contagious virus. Two inmates were tested last week and both tests came back negative.
There are two more inmates who appear to have symptoms and who were tested. The results of those tests are expected next week, Botti said.
Throughout the state, lawyers and civil rights advocates have pushed for early release of inmates in prisons and county jails, saying overcrowded conditions make it possible for the disease to spread quickly.
At least four state prison inmates — three of them at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, in Lancaster — have tested positive for coronavirus along with 18 workers with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
It’s unclear how many county jail inmates statewide are infected with the virus, but one attorney in Orange County is trying to get a federal judge to shutdown that jail after five inmates tested positive and at least 100 inmates and staff were exposed.
Fresno attorney Kevin Rooney said the highly infectious virus is what has prompted him to try and get his client, 62-year-old Armando Acosta Toro, out of Fresno County jail. Toro has diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He’s at the jail on federal drug charges.
On Monday, a federal judge considered releasing Toro if his family could raise more collateral to make sure he returns to court. They were unable to, Rooney said.
“I thought the possibility of getting coronavirus was a compelling reason for him to be released,” Rooney said. “His health is not great and if he catches it, he has a 10 percent chance of being dead in 12 weeks.”
