Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said since testing began, the county jail has had a total of 742 inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19, but not all of those inmates are still being housed in the jail. He said the jail has a transient population with some inmates being released as others are booked into jail. He also said around 300 to 400 inmates are considered to be recovered. There were 1,136 inmates who tested negative.
The sheriff gave an update to county commissioners Tuesday on the housing situation in the jail with coronavirus cases and ongoing issues with crime. He said the jail has had space problems because of having to quarantine some inmates, with the need to segregate violent offenders and sex offenders. Easter also said other counties are no longer housing inmates from Sedgwick County because of coronavirus issues. He said the sheriff’s office doesn’t control who gets released from jail, because that has to be determined by a judge.
Easter said 70 percent of the jail population is felons, and with recent increases in violent crime, more people are having to stay in jail. He said the jail has been working with the city of Wichita to avoid booking people on misdemeanors and minor violations, and the sheriff’s office has followed a similar policy depending on the charge.
The sheriff said only about ten percent of inmates in the jail are wearing masks that they have been issued. They can’t be forced to wear masks because of use-of-force issues. Easter said there were about ten inmates who refused to be tested. He said ten inmates were sent to a hospital, and they had underlying health issues but also tested positive for COVID-19. Eight have returned to the jail and two are still hospitalized. One inmate with ongoing health problems has been in intensive care.
Easter said 28 staff members have tested positive for coronavirus, and the jail has been 62 positions short. He said lieutenants and captains were manning jail pods last weekend. He said a class of 18 deputies will be graduating in September, and his office is interviewing for a new class that may start in September, and it looks to have around 40 people.
The sheriff said the jail staff is working to make sure the inmates are as safe and secure as possible, and they have 24-hour medical services. He said the jail is now only testing people who are showing symptoms.
