City Jails Release More Detainees To Curb Coronavirus Spread

NEW YORK CITY — The city is releasing 23 detainees from New York City jails Sunday in an effort to curb the COVID-19 outbreak in correctional facilities, bringing the total of released detainees to 27, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The detainees released Sunday are over the age of 50 and are considered a "low risk to reoffend," de Blasio said during a news conference.

Officials are reviewing an additional 200 detainees for release and will decide by Monday whether to release them, according to de Blasio. Any detainees who are released will be subject to individual supervision.

“It’s a very complex equation because we need the right kind of monitoring and supervision," de Blasio said Sunday. "We have to take the public safety elements into account. It’s very thorny.”

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The mayor announced plans Friday to release 40 detainees who have a high risk of becoming seriously ill if they contract the new coronavirus and who were being held on minor charges. City officials are working with the state to release the remaining detainees, who are parole reoffenders and subject to state discretion.

The New York City Board of Correction, which is responsible for oversight of the city's jails, recommended last week that the city release all detainees who are over the age of 50, have underlying health conditions, have sentences of less than a year or are in detention for parole violations.

There are 551 detainees who meet those criteria, according to the Board of Correction.

"The City must drastically reduce the number of people in jail right now and limit new admissions to exceptional circumstances," the board's recommendation says. "The City must begin this process now."

The Board of Correction isn't the only one.

The Legal Aid Society filed a lawsuit Friday to secure the release of 116 detainees who are over 50 or suffer from underlying health conditions that make them vulnerable to falling seriously ill if they contract COVID-19.

And City Council Members Rory Lancman and Keith Powers are advocating the release of all detainees who are serving sentences of less than a year.

.@NYCCouncil @KeithPowersNYC & I follow up on Bd of Correction data and call on @NYCMayorsOffice @BilldeBlasio @CorrectionNYC to release all "City-Sentenced" incarcerated individuals (sentenced to less than 1 yr) NOW. Mayor has the authority - use it! pic.twitter.com/Qv9Rsa8pLu pic.twitter.com/PmvBD5SfPM
— (((Rory Lancman))) (@RoryLancman) March 22, 2020

The mayor said Sunday that the Board of Correction's release criteria are overly simplistic but that the city is continuing to review detainees for release.

Meanwhile, 29 detainees and 17 NYC Department of Corrections employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and an additional 58 detainees are being monitored, according to the New York Post.

Health care workers with the city's Correctional Health Services department are screening detainees before they enter or leave jails and isolating anyone who shows symptoms of COVID-19, according to the mayor's office. Department of Corrections staffers are also getting screened.

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