The Governor released an executive order over the weekend outlining the steps that jails - and the state Department of Corrections - should be taking to protect inmates from the coronavirus.
The order suspends transfers from local jails to the state prisons. It also encourages local jails to consider early release for prisoners that do not pose a public risk and are old, medically frail, or incarcerated for mental health problems.
Isabella county sheriff Michael Main said for the past two or three weeks his office has already implemented much of the order, including limiting arrests.
“Not that you can’t be cited or physically arrested if the need comes up. But we are trying to encourage more citations for appearance dates which is a legal arrest, it’s just not physically brought into the jail.”
Main said as many as five of the roughly 130 people currently held in his jail may be eligible for early release under the Governor’s Executive Order.
So far, he said none of the people currently housed in the Isabella county jail have come down with the virus.
The Department of Corrections has already reported some 80 cases of coronavirus among its prison population.
Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said halting transfers to prisons from county jails at this time is vital.
“This order would have those individuals remain at the County Jails instead of having them brought to us where they could potentially start infecting our population.”
Gautz said the Department has already followed many of the Governor’s risk reduction protocols including having prisoners produce protective gear - both for staff and prisoners.
Previously, Gautz said staff were only subjected to a temperature check as they entered the prison. Now, he said, staff will also have to answer questions including whether they’ve had any symptoms. If they do, they will be sent home.
Gautz said the department has also been reviewing its list to see if any inmates might qualify for release. But, he said, of their 38-thousand MDOC prisoners only about five-thousand have served their minimum sentence and would qualify for an early release.
“Just because there is a potential could get a disease we have to weigh that against do you want somebody who is a child molester or killed somebody to be released.”
Gautz said low level drug offenders are likely already receiving parole.
At this time, prisoners testing positive for the virus are being sent to an isolation facility in Jackson.