Posted on 04/01/2020 4:08:52 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
The Bureau of Prisons on Tuesday announced it will begin confining federal inmates to their cells for 14 days in an attempt to prevent further exposure to coronavirus. The order is part of what the bureau is calling "Phase 5" of its plan to combat the spread of COVID-19.
There will be some exceptions to the quasi-lockdown. The bureau is permitting smaller groups for things like phone calls, laundry and showering. Educational programs and mental health treatment will continue, "to the extent practicable."
Previous phases of the bureau's plan included the quarantine of newly admitted inmates at all facilities and inmates who show symptoms be isolated until they test negative for the virus or are otherwise cleared. Inmates who may have been exposed but exhibit no symptoms are directed to be quarantined for 14 days.
The bureau holds 146,000 inmates across 122 facilities nationwide, not including the 21,000 inmates that are incarcerated in facilities run by private contractors. About 10,000 inmates are over the age of 60 years old, a third of which have pre-existing conditions. Last week, Attorney General William Barr announced he had ordered federal prisons to expand home confinement for older inmates with underlying conditions.
"There are particular concerns in this institutional setting. We want to make sure that our institutions don't become petri dishes and it spreads rapidly through a particular institution," Barr said. "We have the protocols that are designed to stop that and we are using all the tools we have to protect the inmates."
Across all federal facilities, 29 inmates and 30 staff members have tested positive for the virus, the bureau said.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Ironically,we’ve all become prisoners in one way or another because of this hysteria.
We are under house arrest and our cell phones are our ankle bracelets.
Better than releasing them.
Yeah but you just know the damn Anti-American ACLU will cry foul and cruel punishment. .......hell the CA governor is simply letting murderers go. ....
Better than releasing them.
/
/
yes this seems like a good response vs “Hey, lets allow convicted murderers loose who can vote for me..erm I mean to help with COVID19”
Funny the virus would be almost no worry on Alcatraz.
Exactly! Personally I don’t have a huge problem with releasing someone who is in for a nonviolent crime being released in this situation, but murderers, rapists, etc need to stay behind bars. Letting violent criminals out is monumentally stupid.
why not 30 days, it is jail afterall.
I’m concerned about a couple of horrible guys on death row..fed. prison.
I hope the worst of the worst aren’t released. They are a biggger plague on humanity than the virus is.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.