Inmates in LA County jails have been caught in the act of trying to infect themselves with the coronavirus by using personal items of inmates who have been known to be positive with the virus. Their scheme to use contaminated items is due to the desperation of wanting to get out of jail in what they view as 'an easy ticket'.
Video Footage of Inmates Infecting Themselves
Video footage obtained by officers shows inmates drinking from a container by a COVID-19 patient, then hiding it afterwards in the hope of not getting caught. Later on, however, the man in the video was reportedly beaten by fellow prisoners. His course of action was stopped by removing the items believed to be contaminated by the virus.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva from the LA County jail says that he finds it alarming that someone would intentionally infect themselves with the virus that has killed thousands all over the world.
Since the coronavirus pandemic started, about 357 prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19 while inside the jails. Since April 30, the number of infected inmates had grown threefold, when 115 were discovered to have the virus.
Since then, a new protocol has been established to test all new inmates whether or not they showed symptoms, to allow better control of the coronavirus' spread in the jail facilities.
From the total of 357 prisoners testing positive of the virus, 117 have since then fully recovered from COVID-19, but 222 remain sick. After testing positive for the virus, eighteen inmates have been released from custody. Before their release, they had to be considered fully recovered by meeting the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention standards.
According to Villanueva, they have undoubtedly reduced the jail population to prevent the further spread of the virus. The LA Sheriff's Department reported that as of Friday, they housed 11,723 inmates, which customarily held 17,000 people.
Most of the inmates who contracted the virus are being housed at Twin Towers, where later on, 205 more tested positive there. About 4,590 prisoners inside the LA County jails are currently under quarantine, with almost 2,000 of them held at the North County facility in Castaic.
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Not Enough Protection for Inmates
Some speculators say that LA County is not doing enough to protect the inmates from the coronavirus. Late in April, two civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles County and Sheriff Alex Villanueva, saying they have failed to protect jail inmates from COVID-19 competently. The lawsuit also points out that inmates do not have enough soap or even a safe way to dry their hands.
Last week, the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission voted to subpoena Villanueva to make an appearance at the next scheduled meeting to go over his handling of the coronavirus situation in the jails. This has been the first time voters have approved the use of power in March.
Inspector General Max Huntsman also indicated that one of the dorms at Men's Central jail, bunk beds are only three feet apart. About 100 people were housed in these dorms. He added that he had received complaints of congestion in testing inmates with presenting coronavirus symptoms. He said that 43 of the inmates in that dorm seemed eligible for release.
