“Lowering the population enables us to social distance inmates inside the jail and allows staff to increase disinfecting protocols and oversight of the quarantined areas,” according to a letter Streck sent to the courts this week.
MORE: Local jail on ‘code red’ after inmate contracts coronavirus
Earlier this week, another inmate at the county jail in downtown Dayton tested positive for the coronavirus after exhibiting symptoms of illness, said Montgomery County Sheriff Major Jeremy Roy, who is over the jail division.
This comes about a week after the jail confirmed its first positive case among its incarcerated population.
Both inmates have been in the jail for months, meaning they became infected while locked up, Roy said.
It’s unclear if the two inmates had contact, but the second infected individual came from a different section of housing, Roy said.
Both inmates are now isolated in two of the jail’s four medical cells.
Eight housing units in the facility are under quarantine, but one contains inmates who have already been sentenced and are awaiting transport to the state’s Correctional Reception Center.
The Montgomery County Jail was put on code red status when it had its first positive case, which means inmates who are headed to state correctional facilities must first be held in quarantine for 14 days, Roy said.
About 67 inmates at the county jail are in quarantine in their housing units. They will be be released from quarantine after 14 days if they have no symptoms, or if they test negative.
Public Health — Dayton & Montgomery County, which visited the jail on Monday, has provided the facility with 50 coronavirus tests, which will be administered to inmates who display symptoms of illness, officials say.
The jail implemented a public health recommendation to create more space between seating in some of the jail pods, officials say.
Coronavirus: Complete Coverage by the Dayton Daily News
Two corrections officers also have tested positive for the virus — most recently on June 13, Roy said.
Both staff members were off work when they tested positive, but it’s possible they contracted the virus inside the jail, given the up to two-week incubation period, he said.
“I can’t say if they got it from grabbing something at the store or if they got it from working in our facility,” he said. “But we know it’s in the facility, so we have to take extra precautions to protect our staff and inmates as well.”
The situation inside the jail reflects what’s going on in the larger community, which is COVID-19 is spreading and cases are increasing, he said.
But while Roy said he expects to see more cases in the jail, staff are using best practices that significantly reduce the risk of the infection spreading.
Sheriff Streck sent a letter this week to the county courts asking them to review their dockets and caseloads to try to identify inmates who could be eligible for release, such as with community sanctions.
Last week, the sheriff sent a letter to local police chiefs requesting that police officers only book suspects into jail when “all other alternatives to incarceration” have been exhausted for non-violent misdemeanors.
The sheriff said reducing the jail population would significantly help cut the risk of COVID-19 spreading in the facility.
On Wednesday morning, the county jail had 595 inmates, which is far more than the 443 prisoner limit the state recommends for a facility of its size, according to some local attorneys.
Maintaining social distancing is difficult, if not impossible, in most of the jail, officials say.
About the Author
