SEATTLE — At least 14 Washington state Department of Corrections employees and eight inmates have tested positive for the new coronavirus, and the agency has a Monday deadline for outlining how it will stop the spread.
The state’s largest outbreak is happening at the Monroe Correctional Complex where five workers and seven offenders have COVID-19. Tests are pending for an additional 50 inmates.
A group of Monroe inmates asked the Washington Supreme Court to order Gov. Jay Inslee and Corrections Secretary Stephen Sinclair to release inmates who are 60 years or older, those who have underlying health conditions and offenders who are close to their release date. Their case was due to be heard on April 27.
After a demonstration turned violent last week, the lawyers asked the court for emergency help.
On Friday, the justices ordered Inslee and Sinclair “to immediately exercise their authority to take all necessary steps to protect the health and safety of the named petitioners and all Department of Corrections inmates in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.”
They have until noon Monday to submit their report.
“We at Columbia Legal Services, our clients and their families are extremely grateful that the Court has recognized the extreme urgency of this matter and that it appreciates the danger that COVID-19 presents to all people living in Washington’s prisons,” said Nick Allen, an attorney for the inmates.
Reducing the number of people in the prisons “is the one public health action that all objective public health experts agree is essential in order to fight the coronavirus,” Allen said.
The Justice Action Network sent a letter to Inslee urging the release of inmates.
“These common sense measures will help save the lives of incarcerated individuals, correctional officers, healthcare workers, and the general public, and have been adopted in red and blue states alike, including Ohio, Kentucky, New Jersey, and New Mexico,” the group said.
Taking action is especially important “in light of a growing wave of fear and unrest gripping our nation’s justice system,” they said.
Inslee said he was pleased to see the court’s order and on Monday will details the steps they’re taking to protect the health and safety of inmates and employees alike.
“We are taking steps to protect the health of incarcerated individuals by focusing on early release of vulnerable populations, including nonviolent individuals who are due to be released within the coming weeks and months,” he said.
