Sacramento County Jails Release 178 Inmates Due To COVID-19 Concerns

Sacramento County jails will be releasing inmates due to coronavirus outbreak concerns.

178 inmates will be released on Monday, January 11 after a Superior Court judge agreed to release people in an attempt to prevent mass COVID-19 outbreaks.

The court order allows the release of individuals with 90 days remaining on their sentence and specifically excludes those with misdemeanors like drunk driving, domestic violence offenses, and any other felonies considered "serious" or violent.

According to Decarcerate Sacramento, a coalition working to end mass incarceration, that is less than five percent of the people currently incarcerated in Sacramento jails now.

The group is calling for half of the inmate population to be released because they believe health practices inside the jails lead to the spread of the virus.

There have been many reports of the Sacramento County jail system and its negligence when it comes to COVID-19 safety.

According to people previously incarcerated there, there is no access to disinfectants and medications, and social distancing is nearly impossible.

An anonymous family member told Decarcerate Sacramento that deputies often move between quarantined and non-quarantined cells and sometimes without masks.

While calls are being made to release more inmates, Sheriff Scott Jones says he only has the ability to adjust an individual's sentence by 30 days, according to CBS13.

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