Non-violent inmates furloughed to meet social distancing guidelines
VANCOUVER — The Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is temporarily releasing 200 inmates of the Clark County jail to reduce the potential spread of COVID-19 in the facility.
“This was a long thought-out process,” said CCSO Sgt. Brent Waddell. “They’re non-violent, and they’re not getting off on charges. They’re being furloughed or postponed. If they don’t show back up there will be consequences.”
Last week the decision making process with the county prosecutor’s office began. The prosecutor, Tony Golik, CCSO and county judges evaluated current inmates and assessed which could be furloughed.
The 200 inmates are non-violent offenders including pre-sentence inmates, pre-trial inmates and those with low bails. None are sex offenders, domestic violence suspects or inmates being held for violent person-on-person crimes, Waddell said.
“You have to be back here at a certain date, or it’s post sentence folks that have set out the majority of their time,” Waddell said. “Non-violent type offenses where the judge commutes their time. It is to make room so they can socially distance inmates.”
CCSO confirmed the number of inmates released is approximately 200, and that they will reassess the situation as the pandemic progresses.
