About 16 medically-vulnerable inmates were the first to be released from the Harris County jail Friday morning just days after an order was signed in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo signed an order to release about 1,000 non-violent inmates in an effort to address a “ticking time bomb” behind jail walls.
Local media reported the initial release is the first of many over the next several days. It is expected that hundreds, not thousands, would be in line for release.
The gradual timeline is in part due to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office examining the criminal histories of inmates up for potential release. Hidalgo vowed that no one with a violent criminal past would be able to step foot outside the jail.
She also said released offenders would still have to face the charges against them. No counts would be written off.
As of Friday, at least three inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, and dozens of others have been waiting to learn of their results.
Despite the health crisis posed inside the jail, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo has implied the risks of letting offenders back out into the community, invoking the rise in burglaries in the area recently.
