LA County's Release Of 4,300 Inmates Due To COVID-19 Fears 'Uncharted Territory'

KEY POINTS

Sheriff Alex Villanueva releases 4,300 inmates from the LA County jails
There had been critics of this move, but the sheriff is standing by his decision
There are already 11 inmates that have tested positive for COVID-19

Los Angeles County’s decision to release more than 4,000 inmates due to the dangers of the novel coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented and largely “uncharted territory,” says Bill Melugin of Fox 11 Los Angeles. Melugin explained the situation while speaking at “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

The famed investigative reporter said that the sheriff released 25% of the inmate population to mitigate the risk of a population outbreak. That equates to 4,300 inmates, an amount that was criticized because it coincided with the closing down of local gun stores due to the situation.

The inmates' release is part of Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva's effort to cut down a number of people who were booked in the facilities. Those that were released were non-violent criminals or those who were in pre-trial detention. There were also inmates who were finishing their sentences in a month or two.

Releasing those inmates might be the right way to go to prevent a different kind of outbreak in prison. However, Melugin noted that the public's safety might be compromised, saying, "So you could imagine the public hearing that there are thousands of inmates now on the street also being deprived of their ability to buy a gun... They weren't too thrilled with that."

Los Angeles Times reported that a custody assistant at the Men’s Central Jail is currently hooked to life support. He is also one of 33 LA County Sheriff’s Department employees who have contracted COVID-19.

Villanueva said that more than half of those who were infected were sworn deputies in the department. There are also 429 employees in the Sheriff’s Department who are currently under quarantine.

Eleven inmates in various LA County jails were already infected by the virus, while two of them have fully recovered. There are about 700 inmates that are quarantined. The sheriff said that testing protocols have become more stringent in the jails, especially after a member of the jail’s nursing staff had died from complications due to COVID-19.