KY inmate tested for COVID-19, others quarantined as critics urge prisoner releases
A state prisoner with unspecified medical issues at the Northpoint Training Center in Burgin was tested for the novel coronavirus at a hospital Friday and then returned to custody and placed in quarantine until the test results are available.
Inmates who shared a dorm with the inmate also were quarantined, including one inmate sent 127 miles away to the Little Sandy Correctional Complex in Sandy Hook following an episode of violence that was unrelated to the health concerns, said Department of Corrections spokeswoman Lisa Lamb. That episode was believed to be gang-related, Lamb said.
As of Monday morning, no state prisoner had tested positive for COVID-19, Lamb said, though Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday that two prison administrators at the Green River Correctional Complex in Central City have tested positive for the coronavirus. Health officials believe the administrators did not have any contact with inmates, he added. An employee of the Fayette County Detention Center also has tested positive, but city officials said Monday there is no need to quarantine staff or inmates.
Kentucky needs to clear state inmates out of its prisons and local jails before a viral outbreak behind bars leads to catastrophe, the state’s chief public defender warned in a letter he made public late last week. The ACLU of Kentucky followed Monday with its own letter urging not just inmate releases but also greater transparency about what’s happening in Kentucky’s locked-down prisons during the pandemic.
“We are writing to you today to request that you use your influential positions to take bold action to mitigate potential harm before it is too late,” Public Advocate Damon Preston wrote to Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Secretary Mary Noble and Parole Board Chairwoman Leila VanHoose last Thursday.
“Prisons are not medical care facilities and do not have on hand the medications and medical equipment necessary to care for those under the care of the facility,” Preston wrote. “Prisons also lack adequate medical staff to meet the needs of a COVID-19 outbreak. In the event of widespread infection, there is further risk of DOC staffing shortages, scarce medical resources, and institutional disturbances, which will pose an additional health and safety concern for incarcerated people, staff and the public at large.”
On Sunday, Beshear said he is reviewing a proposal for releasing some inmates that is less sweeping than the one Preston made.
“I do have draft plans in front of me,” Beshear said at his daily press briefing on the state’s coronavirus response. “Our hope is that we can put those into place this week. It will be more limited than what the head of public advocacy is either requesting or suggesting.”
The Corrections Department has temporarily suspended visitation at all prisons until further notice, as have local jails, to reduce the chance of people carrying the virus back and forth between the facilities and the surrounding communities.
Working together, state court officials have released 28 percent of local inmates — more than 3,100 people — from Kentucky’s approximately 80 jails in the last three weeks. Most were criminal defendants awaiting trial behind bars who had not been able to afford bail. In many cases, bail was reduced or waived or defendants were released on home incarceration.
However, state inmates serving felony time in those county-run jails or in state prisons have proven to be a much tougher obstacle. There has been relatively little drop in that population since the pandemic began. As of last Thursday, there were still 12,565 inmates in Kentucky’s 13 state prisons, the same as March 5, and 10,673 state inmates in local jails, which is only 44 fewer than March 5.
In his letter, Preston pleaded for the Beshear administration to take more aggressive action, such as releasing state inmates who are medically at-risk for infection; non-violent, low-level offenders; or prisoners within six months of their anticipated release date. He also said the state should temporarily suspend parole revocations for technical violations, to avoid putting more people behind bars.
In its own letter, the ACLU asked state officials to release more inmates, reduce arrests and waive fines and court fees until the pandemic has ended. Also, the state should publicly post updated numbers showing how many jail and prison inmates are tested for the coronavirus, how many have tested positive and how many are being isolated or quarantined, the group said.
“We urge the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky to create policies and procedures that protect those who are incarcerated and those who work within the criminal justice system. This is a public health issue. and we hope to see swift action taken to protect all members of our communities,” the ACLU wrote.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 2:58 PM.
