jails Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Coronavirus Cases Rise Sharply In Yakima County Jail

By NWPB News July 14, 2020

The Yakima County Jail is facing a rising COVID-19 case count as of July 2020. CREDIT: Google Maps

The first person in the Yakima County jail tested positive for coronavirus in May — an inmate who transferred to the Yakima County jail from the city jail in Sunnyside, 35 miles southeast of Yakima. On July 6, the jail reported that 83 inmates had caught the virus, and this number continues to grow.Read More

The Coronavirus Crisis Struck, And Washington Jails Emptied Out

By Austin Jenkins April 26, 2020

File photo. Washington jails. CREDIT: Austin Jenkins/N3

In a dramatic example of COVID-19’s impact on the criminal justice system, the number of people in Washington jails has plummeted in recent weeks, ending virtually overnight an overcrowding problem that plagued many facilities for years. Today, a few of the state’s smallest jails are reporting inmate populations in the single digits.Read More

First Washington Prison Inmate Tests Positive For COVID-19

By Austin Jenkins April 6, 2020

Columbia Legal Services has filed a lawsuit against the state of Washington seeking the early release of some inmates to reduce the risk of a coronavirus outbreak. CREDIT: Thomas Hawk / Flickr -TINYURL.COM/HA5H3WP

A prisoner at the Monroe Correctional Complex has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the first incarcerated individual in a Washington prison known to have contracted the virus.Read More

A Washington Inmate Fears Coronavirus Could Sweep Through His Prison Like A Fire

By Austin Jenkins April 5, 2020

Nightfall at the Monroe Correctional Complex on Wednesday, November 29, 2018. Two units at the prison are currently on "precautionary quarantine." CREDIT: Megan Farmer/KUOW

The risk that COVID-19 could get into a prison is high, as is the potential for it to spread quickly because of tight spaces, shared quarters and dense populations. Adding to the danger is the fact Washington prisons – with nearly 17,000 inmates -- are at 100 percent of capacity. Read More

Northeastern Oregon County Suspends Habeas Corpus Hearings Over Coronavirus Concerns

By Conrad Wilson April 1, 2020

Men incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution wait to re-enter the prison following a community event Aug. 24, 2019, in Umatilla, Ore.

Umatilla County is home to two large state prisons, which hold more than 3,500 inmates between them. The petitions are a last resort for inmates who need things like medical equipment and procedures that have been denied.Read More