La Plata County Jail is crowded, just the kind of environment public health officials and governments have been warning against for almost a week in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus causing COVID-19.
Local judges, attorneys and law enforcement have collaborated in the past week to reduce the number of people incarcerated in La Plata County, according to interviews with agency leaders.
In a letter to state officials, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and a number of criminal defense organizations requested immediate action Tuesday to reduce jail and prison populations statewide.
The population at the jail shrank from 201 on Monday to 176 on Wednesday as officials worked to identify and release at-risk inmates who pose a low risk to the community, said jail Capt. Ed Aber.
“With the reduction that we’ve experienced in jail population this week, we’re able to start moving some cell blocks around to free up more space for the eventuality that people have been exposed to or have the coronavirus,” Aber said in an interview Wednesday.
Heightened precautionsOperations at the La Plata County Courthouse have largely ground to a halt, led by an order from 6th Judicial Chief Judge Jeffery Wilson, who oversees courts in La Plata, Archuleta and San Juan counties:
All trials have been reset to a date after May 15, unless it directly affects public safety.The murder trial of Mark Redwine, which was scheduled to begin April 2, is now scheduled to begin on May 26.Judges will hear cases only for advisement on charges and consideration of bail, emergency protection orders and juvenile custody matters, unless Judge Wilson determines otherwise, until April 3.People on probation required to meet with a probation officer face to face may now communicate by telephone or email.The La Plata County Jail is also taking extra precautions:
Access to the jail has been restricted to essential personnel. All work-release sentences have been postponed until health risks subside. Religious and library services have been suspended.Inmates appear in court by video rather than in person.Co-pays for medical services could be waived in the case of an outbreak. “Under emergency circumstances, we have a job to do, and we will figure out how to make that happen,” Aber said. “That’s something that we’re aware of; we’re preparing for it the best we can.”
Release from jailThe 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is reviewing cases of people incarcerated in the jail to identify at-risk individuals – people who are older, have underlying medical conditions or compromised immune systems, said District Attorney Christian Champagne.
Prosecutors are working to reduce bail for at-risk individuals, allowing them to go free as their case proceeds through the system. They have also offered at-risk individuals sentenced to jail a chance to either reduce their sentence or move to an out-of-custody, home-detention environment.
“We want, of course, people to be held accountable and accept responsibility,” Champagne said. “But it’s not appropriate to put people in harm’s way in terms of a public health emergency.”
Victims are notified and given an opportunity to address the court before an inmate’s release, Champagne said. Prosecutors must consider a number of factors, including an inmate’s criminal history, the severity of the charge for which they’re incarcerated, their living situation and the availability of support systems for inmates released.
“It’s complicated,” he said. “We’ve been working on it for about a week really intensively. There’s been great cooperation across the judicial branch and criminal justice system.”
Summons to courtThe 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office requested local law enforcement to serve court summons rather than arrest people for low-level offenses. Police officers and deputies have been asked to issue summons for drug offenses and low-level felonies, as long as individuals do not pose a risk to the public.
Law enforcement still must arrest people for domestic violence as required by Colorado law, Champagne said.
The Durango Police Department is asking anyone reporting a crime to do so by telephone or by using the department’s online reporting system. Mass closures in the community, including Durango School District 9-R’s extended cancellation, has made more officers available for the short-staffed agency, said Chief Bob Brammer.
But the department is preparing for an inevitable infection among its ranks, he said.
“Ultimately, we will still provide the highest level of service we can, but we need to understand there will be some delays in some responses, and we may request people file reports online and by telephone,” he said. “Our goal is to have people on the street, be highly visible and let our community know we’re here.”
bhauff@durangoherald.com