Greene jail suspends in-person visits as COVID-19 cases increase in region (copy)
The Greene County jail is temporarily suspending in-person visits for inmates and will not be accepting people with unpaid court costs or fines in an attempt to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility.
The moratorium on visitations went into effect Friday and will continue for 90 days as jail Warden John Kingston raised concerns about the increase of coronavirus cases in the county and across the region.
“Honestly since COVID hit our county in March, everything has been slowed down or minimalized, and now we’re just being prudent to cut down on the possibility of somebody getting sick,” Kingston said of the new restrictions.
He said other programs, such as Bible study and church ministry, have also been reined back for months due to the pandemic. He said inmates will continue to be able to converse with family members or attorneys through telephone calls or video conferencing.
Kingston brought up his concerns during a Greene County Prison Board meeting last week and offered ideas on how to prevent the spread of the virus in the jail. He said they have not had any major issues since March, but he is concerned about the explosion of cases in recent weeks.
“Just due to the numbers dramatically rising in our little county, we just though it was prudent to adopt what we did in March to be stringent on who comes and goes into the facility,” Kingston said.
Greene County reported 26 new positive tests this weekend, including its second death on Saturday. The county has experienced 614 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, with most occurring in November as the caseload has doubled in less than three weeks.
In addition to the suspension of in-person visits, Greene County President Judge Lou Dayich issued an order Friday preventing people from being incarcerated through bench warrants due to unpaid fines or court costs through Feb. 1. Dayich said Monday that most people picked up on those warrants typically spend a night in jail before coming before a judge to begin the appeal process and then being released. Many who go through this process have already served their sentences and are on monthly payment plans, he said.
“What we’re trying to do is keep the circumstances down where we reduce the number of people coming in and out on a one-day basis and prioritize so we’re not putting people in and out of jail when it (involves) money,” Dayich said.
Dayich added that his order does not include arrest warrants for people facing criminal charges.
Kingston said the jail’s population has been relatively stable all year, but the actions will reduce an influx of new inmates, even if they’re staying just one night.
“Anything we can do to slow the traffic down, right now, is a positive thing,” Kingston said.
The jail’s staff has enough personal protective equipment and is continuing to regularly clean the facility and quarantine new inmates, he said. The staff has been working on strict rules even when new COVID-19 cases subsided in the summer months.
“Fortunately, we’re pretty stringent on the screening procedures. We have not dropped our guard since this pandemic started,” Kingston said. “It’s a team effort. It’s a 24/7 operation. We’re being as cautious as we possibly can.”