Inmates released because of COVID-19

Inmates released because of COVID-19

THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES WITHLOVED ONES IN PRISON, SAYTHEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT THEIRHEALTH AND WELL BEING AS THECORONAVIRUS SPREADS.

DOZENS OF*WORKERS AT STATE PRISONS HAVEGOTTEN THE VIRUS, AND THEN OFCOURSE THEY BRING IT HOME FROMTHE PRISON BACK INTO THEIRCOMMUNITY.

GOVERNOR HOGANSIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDERAUTHORIZING THE RELEASE OFCERTAIN INMATES AS APRECAUTION.

IN OUR REBOUNDMARYLAND SERIES━ WMA━2NEWS' MARK ROPER TAKES A LOOKAT WHY SOME SAY THE RELEASEPROCESS ISN'T HAPPENING ASFAST AS THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD.MARK━ WHAT'S THE HOLD UP?SOME HAVE SAID THERE'S ASHORTAGE OF PRISON CASEMANAGERS TO HELP FACILITATETHE PROCESS BUT THERE MAY BESEVERAL OTHER REASONS WHYGETTING OUT OF PRISON EARLYMIGHT NOT HAPPEN AS FAST ASFAMILIES AND INMATES WOULDLIKE.

THE CORONAVIRUS HAS MADEITS WAY INSIDE MARYLAND PRISONWALLS.

SO FAR━ THEDEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETYAND CORRECTIONAL SERVICESREPORTS 107 OFFICERS━ 39INMATES AND 6 STAFF MEMBERS━HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FORCOVI━19.

152 PEOPLE TOTAL━INCLUDING ONE INMATE WHO DIED.AN INMATE IN HIS 60S WITHSERIOUS UNDERLYING HEALTHCONDITIONS WHO DIED FROM THEVIRUS.

GOVERNOR HOGAN SIGNEDAN ORDER ALLOWING CERTAINPRISONERS SCHEDULED TO BERELEASED WITHIN THE NEXT FOURMONTHS TO GET AN EARLY TASOF FREEDOM.

INMATES CONVICTEDOF NO━VIOLENT CRIMES OLDERTHAN 60 YEARS OLD━ WITH AGOOD RECORD AND AN APPROVEDPLAN TO R━ENTER SOCIETY ALSOARE ELIGIBLE FOR EARLYRELEASE.

PRISONERS ELIGIBLE TOGET OUT EARLY WOULD BE PLACEDON HOME DETENTION ORSUPERVISED ON PRETRIALRELEASE.

CRIMINAL JUSTICEADVOCATE NICOLE HANSON MUNDELRECOGNIZES SEVERAL FACTORSWHICH MIGHT CAUSE GETTING ANEARLY RELEASE TO TAKE LONGERTHAN EXPECTED.

NICOLE HANSO━MUNDELL/ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,OUT FOR JUSTICE "what I'mhearing on many of thesecalls, pr━trial is trying butas people begin to beapproved, the courts andpr━trial are going to beinundated with names of peoplewho have to be approved to gohome " AND BECAUSE SO MANYPEOPLE HAVE QUESTIONS ABOTHE RELEASE PROCESS━ASKED THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENTOF PUBLIC SAFETY ANDCORRECTIONAL SERVICES FOR ANINTERVIEW━ BUT WE WERE TOLDTHEY ARE NOT ABLE TOACCOMMODATE INTERVIEWS ABOUTTHE ISSUE AT THIS TIME.

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