106 Denver Inmates & 17 Jefferson County Inmates Test Positive For Coronavirus
DENVER (CBS4) - More than 100 inmates in Denver have tested positive for COVID-19. The Denver Joint Information Center confirms positive tests among 99 inmates at the Downtown Detention Center and 7 positive tests among inmates at the Denver County Jail.
As of Thursday evening, 28 Denver inmates were in isolation after exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. Denver Health has offered those inmates a COVID-19 test. The JIC reports 12 inmates who previously tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered and 27 inmates who tested positive for the virus have been released.
The Jefferson County Detention Facility reports 17 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. Those inmates have been moved to an isolation module, according to the sheriff's office. Inmates who may have been exposed to the virus are being screened by medial staff.
The Denver Sheriff Department has also opened specific pods for COVID-19 positive inmates. On April 27, the Denver Downtown Detention Center began testing all inmates booked into the facility. In addition, inmates who have been exposed to the virus are now tested after 14 days, and inmates prior to being transferred to the Department of Corrections are being tested.
In order to prevent the spread of the virus, both the Denver Sheriff Department and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office are reducing their jail populations. DSD has reduced their jail population by 40 percent. The Jefferson County Detention Facility currently holds 592 inmates. JCSO is aiming to keep the jail population below half of the 1,148 capacity.
DSD officials said had they not taken quick action to reduce the jail population, the number of COVID-19 cases would be much higher. New inmates are screened for symptoms and have their their temperatures taken by medical staff at the Denver jails. Staff and inmates are provided masks and the intake area is cleaned four times a day.
The largest COVID-19 outbreak among inmates in Colorado is at Sterling Correctional Facility, where at least 266 inmates and 12 staff members have tested positive for the virus. At least one inmate at Sterling, an 86-year-old, has died after contacting the virus.
Several organizations, including the ACLU, are calling on Governor Polis to take further action to depopulate prisons and jails. In March, Polis issued an Executive Order, which suspended certain regulatory statutes concerning criminal justice.
