Officials Seek Fewer Jail Bookings Due to COVID, Short Staff

SEATTLE (AP) — Public defenders and corrections officers describing inhumane conditions in King County jails are asking the county to stop booking people awaiting charges on nonviolent felony offenses amid staff shortages and a surge in coronavirus cases.

The proposal, which is opposed by the county prosecutor’s office, is an effort to further reduce jail populations, which have fallen significantly since the pandemic started, The Seattle Times reported.

At that time, in March 2020, County Executive Dow Constantine ordered corrections officials to stop jailing people accused of most misdemeanors. Average jail populations fell from about 1,900 to around 1,350, where they have remained.

But officials say the omicron-fueled coronavirus surge has had profound impacts on the county’s downtown jail and its jail in Kent.

Public defenders and corrections officials Tuesday talked about recent limited opportunities for the incarcerated to access showers, phones and the commissary.

“Fear that someone may miss a court date is not a reason to keep them locked in a cell for days at a time; no showers, no phone calls, no windows, cold food, but that’s where we are right now,” said Elbert Aull, a public defender who works at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. “We’ve noticed an alarming, alarming decline in our in-custodied clients’ personal hygiene.”

Severe staff shortages

The proposal would generally prevent the booking of people accused of, but not yet charged with, offenses like burglary, car theft and drug dealing.

As of Tuesday, there are 61 positive COVID-19 cases and 63 additional people in quarantine, out of the 1,372 in custody, according to the county. That’s down from two weeks ago when there were almost 200 positive cases and nearly 250 in quarantine.

Among the county jail system’s 900 or so employees, 195 have tested positive in just the last seven weeks, the county said. The county also has 84 open corrections officer positions and is offering hiring bonuses to try to fill them. King County employees must be vaccinated.

Dennis Folk, president of the King County Corrections Guild, said he has been off work for the last couple weeks as he recovers from COVID-19. He described staffing shortages so severe that officers are sleeping in empty cells because they have to work another mandatory overtime shift the next day.

Jail policy is largely set by the county executive. In a statement Tuesday, Constantine said they are “committed to doing what’s best for our frontline employees, people in custody, and visitors, including the attorneys and other professionals who serve the jail population.”

Chase Gallagher, a Constantine spokesperson, said they think the booking policies “strike the correct balance.”