Westmoreland prison officials screening inmates to help avoid coronavirus outbreak

Westmoreland officials said Monday there are no comprehensive plans to reduce the inmate population at the county jail in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Throughout Pennsylvania, officials have begun releasing inmates from local lockups. Westmoreland officials said there is no dire need to take similar action at the facility in Hempfield, which is well below capacity and has experienced a slowdown in the number of admissions, according to Warden John Walton.

“We usually average 11 new commitments a day, but we haven’t had that many come in,” Walton said.

As of Monday morning, there were 560 inmates at the jail. The capacity is more than 700.

Just one inmate entered the jail over the weekend, and seven were expected to be transferred Monday to inpatient drug rehabilitation programs, Walton said.

Late last week, Allegheny County court officials began the process to release as many as 200 inmates who were deemed most vulnerable to the coronavirus. A similar program is not expected in Westmoreland.

Westmoreland Common Pleas Court President Judge Rita Hathaway said it will be up to prosecutors and defense attorneys to agree that an inmate should be released. A judge would have to sign off on the move.

“There just can’t be a blanket court order,” Hathaway said.

District Attorney John Peck said his office will address nominal bond requests from defense attorneys and look to accelerate plea hearings through teleconference for inmates with deals that call for them to be released.

“If there’s a good underlying reason, we will consider it and, if warranted, will recommend a nominal bond to the court,” Peck said.

Officials said additional precautions are in place at the jail to help protect staff and inmates.

In-person visitation was barred last week and, starting Tuesday, all staff, lawyers and others who enter the facility will be examined to ensure they are not sick.

New inmates are taken to a hospital if they appear to have any symptoms of the virus, Walton said.

Meanwhile, the flow of inmates has been limited. Work release is suspended and court appearances are postponed through the first week of April. Emergency bail hearings, bench warrants and other matters to be heard by a judge will be conducted via computer.

Walton said life for inmates won’t be altered.

“We’re just educating people to stay away from each other, and we’ve placed handwashing stations around the jail and given additional soap to inmates,” Walton said.

Inmates will continue to eat in groups, gather in common areas and share 8-by-10-foot cells.

New inmates will be placed in isolation for at least 48 hours upon arriving at the jail and the facility has up to 36 isolation cells, if needed, Walton said. “We’re doing such a good job screening that, hopefully, we don’t get an outbreak. I can’t just lock them in their cells so they can’t do anything.”

State corrections officials announced that, starting March 28, it will use the soon-to-be closed prison in Luzerne County to temporarily house new male inmates and parole violators.

Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said those inmates will be quarantined at the SCI Retreat before being sent to the system’s diagnostic center at Camp Hill.

Officials said there have been no coronavirus cases reported in the state prison system.

“We are doing all we can to mitigate the impact this virus will have on our system,” Wetzel said. “All ideas are being considered.”