Oregon courts, jails respond to coronavirus: Washington County jail to release 60 inmates; court hearings see widespread delays
Originally published by Noelle Crombie, the Oregonian/Oregon Live on 17/03/2020
Summary
In an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett on Monday took steps to reduce the jail population. The measures included:– identification of about 60 inmates it considered eligible for early release due to their medical condition or the nature of their sentences; – people serving short sentences or nearing the end of a sentence were considered for release; – expansion of the use of home detention bracelets; – requests to local police chiefs to ask officers to issue citations when possible instead of booking suspects into jail.These measures are being taken to prevent virus infections, to protect everybody in the jail facility and to maintain the long-term viability of our jail operations according to the sheriff.Work crews made up of people who are incarcerated will focus their efforts on the cleaning the jail instead of outside assignments.