Tulsa County Jail Frees 67 Inmates Due To COVID-19

Around 67 inmates charged with low-level crimes were released from the Tulsa County Jail following an emergency court docket because of the COVID-19 Outbreak.

According to Greenwich Time, Associate District Judge Cliff Smith presided the criminal docket on Thursday which, according to Public Defender Corbin Brewster, led to the release of 37 people convicted with nonviolent felonies and 30 more who were charged with misdemeanors.

The emergency docket was held following Oklahoma's first COVID-19-linked death; a 55-year-old man from Tulsa County died on Wednesday who tested positive for the virus.

Presiding Judge William LaFortune authorized the emergency docket and signed an order to close down Tulsa County's judicial offices and courts through April 20 with the judges and employees only allowed to work when necessary.

However, explained Breswter, the shutdown won't affect the Public Defender's Officer as "people continue to be arrested".

He also added that the emergency docket was important because most of the inmates were only charged with nonviolent crimes that shouldn't equate to prison time.

"When people are trying to mitigate the spread of a serious virus, it would be inhumane to hold people and incarcerate them and subject them to exposure when they shouldn’t be incarcerated in the first place,” Brewster said.

Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Casey Roebuck said on Tuesday that although there is no evidence that anyone in the county jail show signs of COVID-19 exposure, there is still enough space to quarantine inmates if necessary.