Essex County Jail Population Down 17 Percent Since Court Order

MIDDLETON, MA —The number of inmates at the state's three correctional facilities in Essex County has dropped 16.9 percent to 975 from 1,162 on April 5, when a sweeping court order allowed the release of nonviolent offenders to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

At least at the Essex County House of Correction in Middleton, the order from the Supreme Judicial Court seems to have had its intended effect. A total of 67 inmates, 16 correctional officers and three staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, but there been just seven new cases reported in May, and none since May 7, when two inmates tested positive.

There have been similar gains at the Pre-Release and Re-Entry Center in Lawrence and the Women In Transition Center in Salisbury, the counties other two correctional facilities. The county sheriffs department oversees the largest percentage of inmates in the state.

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Statewide, there have been 153 confirmed cases and inmates, 95 among correctional officers and 37 cases among staff members at the state's county jails since April 5, when a court-appointed overseer started compiling weekly reports on testing and confirmed cases for Department of Corrections facilities.

The ruling said people charged with most crimes should be released without bail "unless an unreasonable danger to the community would result, or the individual presents a very high risk of flight." The ruling lets people currently serving sentences of 60 days or fewer to file motions to have their sentences revised or revoked.

Across Massachusetts, 811 prisoners have been released from county jails under the order, including 58 in Essex County. The court order also said most inmates should be released on personal recognizance while awaiting trial, which factors into the 16.9 percent drop in Essex County's three holding facilities.

The ruling also ordered the Department of Corrections and parole board to speed up the process for paroling prisoners "and to identify other classes of inmates who might be able to be released by agreement of the parties, as well as expediting petitions for compassionate release."

More Coronavirus Coverage On Massachusetts Patch:

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Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).