Mecklenburg jail sees its first 2 COVID cases with inmates. 3 more staff cases reported
The Mecklenburg County jail has reported its first two cases of COVID-19 among inmates, and three additional cases among staff members, officials said Thursday.
The Mecklenburg County Detention Center cases emerged nearly three months since the onset of the new coronavirus pandemic.
The three staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 were confirmed last week, Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Dejah Gilliam said. A total of five staffers at the county jail have tested positive for COVID-19.
One adult inmate was tested and released on bond before the positive test result came back and the other inmate is still in custody, according to Gilliam. The adult inmate who tested positive and is still in the jail has been in custody for less than a month, she said.
There have been 84 coronavirus tests conducted at the jail as of Wednesday, Gilliam said.
Jail screenings
Since the start of the pandemic, the county jail has implemented a screening protocol and restricted in-person visits, Gilliam said.
The inmate population of the central facility in uptown Charlotte is around 1,300 people — a reduction of around 300 people since the pandemic began, she said. In the juvenile facility, there are 19 people in detention.
Screening includes questions on whether someone is experiencing flu-like symptoms or whether the person has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or has pending results.
According to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, 13 inmates are in quarantine, four are in isolation and six are in “respiratory monitoring.” That’s when an inmate has “respiratory symptoms” associated with the coronavirus but has been deemed by medical providers to have a ”low likelihood” of having coronavirus, according to officials.
Mecklenburg County Public Defender Kevin Tully said that Sheriff Gary McFadden has done a “great deal to prevent the introduction of the virus,” but unnecessary arrests and bookings are still being made.
“The fact that (the virus) hasn’t shown up until now is an indication of that, but it’s also why we’ve been working so hard to fight and bring that jail population down because the dangers are self-evident,” he said.
Advocates’ concerns
Advocates and lawyers have been sounding the alarm on the potential spread of coronavirus within the county jail since April.
Concerns over inmates has formed the group “Decarcerate Mecklenburg,” which consists of attorneys, public defenders, members of the ACLU and other advocates.
The group has protested nearly every Friday since April and has argued that people who cannot afford bond, have six months or less to serve, are pregnant or over 50 should be released.
The group has also put pressure on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police to give out citations for misdemeanor crimes instead of arresting people and putting them in jail, where social distancing is impossible.
In March, Acting Chief District Court Judge Elizabeth Trosch suspended orders for arrest for misdemeanors, except for cases involving domestic violence or violence against a child. Orders for arrest include cases where probation is violated or someone fails to appear in court.
However, that order expired on July 6.
“CMPD officers have the authority to exercise enforcement discretion to ensure their efforts are protecting public safety while maintaining public health,” CMPD spokesman Tom Hildebrand said. “Fighting violent crimes and prevention continues to be a priority for the department as our community continues to experience victimization during the pandemic.”
Hildebrand also added that last month, arrests were down 22% when compared to May 2019, and year-to-date arrests are down 5%.
The county sheriff’s office has maintained that screening measures have worked well and “due to our COVID-19 restrictions, our detention population has remained safer than those in the community,” Gilliam said in an email to the Observer.
While the jail population has decreased, advocates have said the net decrease in inmates does not include the “churn” of people who only stay for short periods but still risk introducing the virus into the population.
Other detention centers with less capacity in North Carolina have experienced outbreaks – defined by more than one case of COVID-19 – including Cumberland and Durham county.
“In Mecklenburg, we’ve been proceeding with this touch and go and ‘thank goodness, knock on wood’ (approach). Meanwhile no sizable portion of the resident population (has been) tested,” said assistant public defender Michael Kabakoff.
Defense attorney Tim Emry said that while mask use is more widespread at the jail, the change comes as too little too late.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 12:37 PM.
