Fort Worth-area coronavirus efforts trigger inmate exodus; jail population at 2-year low
The Tarrant County jails have released enough inmates in the past few days to drastically lower the jail population.
This inmate release is an effort to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus infection, according to Tarrant County officials.
Those efforts are expected to continue as Tarrant County courts transition later this week to using a video-conferencing technology option to remotely conduct essential court proceedings. If an inmate declines the video-conferencing option, essential hearings can be arranged on an appointment basis.
“As of this morning (Wednesday) the jail population is 3,552. That’s the lowest it’s been in over two years,” said Lt. Jennifer Gabbert, Tarrant County jail spokeswoman. ”We have been able to release a large number of inmates in the past few days.”
Tarrant County jail facilities housed about 4,000 inmates just a week ago, Gabbert said. As of March 1, 2019, Tarrant County Jails housed more than 4,100 inmates, according to figures from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
Jail personnel are also blocking entrance for inmates transported from other locations if they have temperatures or if they present any evidence of having a coronavirus infection, Gabbert said. Outside personnel who have conducted programs inside the jail have been asked to suspend those programs or those programs have been reduced, Gabbert said.
Gabbert said Tarrant County sheriff’’s deputies are also using their discretion to avoid transporting people to jail who are not a threat to society.
Dallas County officials said Wednesday that five Dallas County inmates have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the infection that causes COVID-19.
This effort at reducing the Tarrant County jail population to decrease the risk of coronavirus spread involves the entire Tarrant County criminal justice establishment, which is trying to make what were once ordinary court proceedings as normal as possible under the extraordinary circumstance of a global disease pandemic, Tarrant County officials said.
Additional pressures to expedite these efforts were spurred on by criminal defense attorneys’ reluctance to interact with their clients who were in jail, and criminal justice reform advocates who are saying that the measures now being put into practice should have been built into the system a long time past.
But the coronavirus pandemic provided the major push.
It would spread like wildfire
Because of the pandemic, the only persons getting in who are not jail staff are attorneys, Gary Smart, Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association president, said.
“If somebody at the jail would get that virus, the disease would spread through that building like wildfire because you wouldn’t know how long they had it before you were finally able to catch it,” Smart said. “It would spread like wildfire before you even knew it existed.”
The courts, the district attorney’s office, administrators with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department, the jail operators, defense attorneys, probation office staff and others all are involved in the effort to make sure the people who would normally quickly get out of jail on bond still get out of jail quickly, according to Tarrant County officials.
The jails are being cleaned more often than usual and non-essential visitation, such as family and religious visitation, has been postponed for an indefinite period of time.
Jail officials are working to identify people who can be released without compromising public safety.
State District Judge Robb Catalano said he is impressed by the effort being made to get this accomplished. The video-conferencing option for plea bargains, provided all parties come to an agreement, for hearing pleas and for presenting arguments why a person should be released from jail, is authorized by Texas law, Catalano said.
The video-conferencing option recognizes the rights of inmates, while reducing the risk of spreading the coronavirus infection, Catalano said.
“No one really has to appear in person to accomplish a plea bargain,” Catalano said. “Most of these functions can be done remotely, with emails and electronic signatures.”
The problem is compounding in jail
Still, there are some who say these measures are not sufficient. They feel the ramifications of a single error could be catastrophic.
In a joint letter to Fort Worth and Tarrant County officials, advocates described Tarrant County jails as squalid, without the opportunity for social distancing and inside an environment where healthcare is deficient.
“This is a recipe for the rapid spread of disease through correction officer contact and other personnel who could facilitate community spread throughout the jail,” said the letter, signed onto by groups such as United Fort Worth, The Tarrant County Coalition for Community Oversight and the immigrant advocacy group RAICES.
The groups also describe the jails as a revolving door, with dozens of people going in and being released back into the community every day. If someone goes into jail for a misdemeanor drug possession for two or three days, then goes back home asymptomatic but infected, the potential is there for that person to infect both family and community members, said Pam Young, United Fort Worth spokeswoman.
“It’s imperative to make every effort to make sure that people who are not a threat to the community are released,” Young said. “We need those dollars and resources to mitigate the COVID-19 right now, not to prop up a system where the disease can spread. Not only do we have people in there like sitting ducks, we have staff who goes home every day. It’s a perfect storm for an outbreak that could be uncontrollable. And it’s inhumane for people who are not a threat to be locked up for no reason.”
Also, there is a financial impact of housing an inmate in jail, paid for by taxes, Young said. And if that inmate is medically fragile, the housing cost increases, Young said. Releasing low-level non-violent offenders would also relieve the burden on JPS Health Network employees who provide inmate care, Young said.
“The problem is compounding in jail,” Young said.
No positive tests
JPS officials maintain that all possible suspected inmate coronavirus cases are isolated and measures are taken in accordance to Centers for Disease Control guidelines and then reviewed by a (JPS) infection prevention team for further recommendations regarding COVID-19 testing.
JPS health care professionals have not had any positive COVID tests for patients or JPS staff at the jail facilities at this time, according to JPS records. Also, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office has not recorded any positive coronavirus tests for jail staff, but Sheriff Department staff are only tested if they meet the CDC testing criteria.
If a positive coronavirus inmate test result should be reported to Tarrant County officials, beds have been set aside in a special area on the jail’s medical floor, Gabbert said.
Infection control, social distancing, and hand washing are encouraged by jail staff and sanitation is done daily, if not more often, Gabbert said.
In some cities and counties people have raised concerns that too many inmates are being released and some violent offenders or suspects may have slipped through who are a danger to society.
Manny Ramirez, president of the Fort Worth Police Officers Association, said he has seen no indication that people who pose a threat to the public are being let out of jail as a result of efforts to reduce the numbers of people in jail. Police officers in Fort Worth continue to avoid bringing low-level non-violent offenders to jail, Ramirez said.
“Our officers are scared to catch the disease and take it to other people or their families,” Ramirez said. “But our officers are not changing. If you are out there to harm people, we are going to take those people to jail. Our officers are saying yes there may be extra risks, but we are doing it anyway. Courage is being scared and doing it anyway. Someone who has a Class C ticket warrant, or someone who poses no danger to our society, we are not taking those people to jail.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
