PHILADELPHIA - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court was asked Monday to order the release of some inmates from county jails to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
A petition filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said that tight inmate quarters, a lack of sanitation, and a limited ability to treat and quarantine people suspected of having COVID-19 presents an “extraordinary public health risk” to inmates, staff and surrounding communities. FULL COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS Once COVID-19 enters a jail, it is “virtually certain to spread like wildfire through the prison population, correctional staff and into the nearby community,” the petition said.