Law enforcement in Denver and Boulder are limiting the number of people they arrest on low-level crimes to minimize the risk of introducing the new coronavirus into the jails.
The change comes as jails across the state are working to prevent the introduction of COVID-19 into facilities where social distancing and some basic steps to prevent contracting the virus are difficult. Law enforcement agencies are tasked with maintaining public safety while also protecting the health of inmates and jails’ staff.
Denver police officers will default to issuing summons instead of arresting people suspected of low-level, non-violent property and drug crimes, Chief Paul Pazen said in an interview Monday. A summons is a legal document ordering a person to appear before a judge. Those given a summons could still face charges, but they won’t be taken into custody.
“We don’t want to unnecessarily introduce infection in the (Downtown Detention Center) or the county jail for a low-level crime,” Pazen said. “We want to use good judgment to reduce risk and reduce exposure.”
Prosecutors and law enforcement in Boulder County are enacting similar guidelines about arrests, and the district attorney’s office is examining who in the jail can be safely released, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.
The prosecutor’s office has filed motions recommending the release of some inmates whose immune systems are compromised or have serious health conditions. The office also is recommending the release of some inmates who have less than 45 days left in their sentence and some inmates being held pre-trial because they can’t afford to post bond.
“We have the president saying we shouldn’t gather in groups more than 10, and if we have a group of 500 people in our jail that seems like a public health crisis waiting to happen,” he said.
An increasing number of jails are barring in-person visits from family and friends and are changing how professional visits occur to minimize risk of infection.
The following facilities are no longer allowing in-person social visitation:
- Boulder County jail
- Adams County jail
- El Paso County jail
- All Colorado Department of Corrections prisons
- The Aurora Contract Detention Facility that houses immigrant detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The Arapahoe County Detention Center, the Douglas County jail and the Denver jails do not allow in-person visitation. Instead, they use video conferencing. The video calls cost about $9 per 30 minute session.
Many facilities also blocked visits from volunteers, who often provide religious services and arts programming.
