Tuesday, April 21, 2020 | 8:30 p.m.
A total of 115 nonviolent offenders have walked out of the Clark County Detention Center since Thursday in a bid to trim the jail’s population to mitigate the possible spread of the coronavirus, Metro Police said Tuesday.
Up to 10% of the jail population, or about 290 inmates, could be released, per a court petition by Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo approved last week.
Inmates have to meet certain criteria to qualify for release, including those who have underlying medical conditions, those who have served at least 75% of their sentences, and those who were jailed solely on technical parole and probation violations that didn’t accrue any new charges, Assistant Sheriff Chris Jones said Friday.
The number of inmates eligible for release may fall short of the 290 allowed.
COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, can prove especially fatal for those of advanced age and those with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
As of Friday, four inmates had tested positive for the coronavirus, and three had been released.
Those who were released didn’t have to pay bail, and most didn’t need to return, officials said. A few of them were to be placed on electronic monitoring.
