GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Dozens of Kent County jail inmates sentenced to prison are in limbo because transfers have been sidelined to reduce COVID-19 exposure in the state's inmate population.
“We have about 70 inmates that are sentenced to the Michigan Department of Corrections right now that are still incarcerated in Kent County,’’ Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young said. “So, we’re working to try to get those transfers accomplished as soon as possible.’’
An executive order that took effect in early spring suspended inmate transfers into state custody.
That is starting to change. Qualifying jails that meet stringent testing protocols will be allowed to resume inmate transfers to state custody.
“We’re hoping in the next week or so,’’ LaJoye-Young said. “They all won’t be going at once.’’
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the Kent County Jail had an average daily population of about 1,050 inmates. On Tuesday, Aug. 18, the count was 717, which LaJoye-Young said she would like to see reduced.
Transferring inmates to state prison, she said, will accomplish that.
Among those awaiting transfer are two convicted killers:
Jamar Purdle was sentenced in May to more than 56 years for the shooting death of a woman on the city’s Southeast Side. Purdle, 32, has been in the Kent County Jail since April of 2019.
Andre Jack, 37, was booked into the Kent County Jail a little more than a year ago. He was sentenced earlier this month to a minimum of 14½ years for fatally stabbing a friend in Wyoming during an argument.
“At some point, that group starts to impact our ability to spread out individuals who need to stay in our community,’’ LaJoye-Young said.
The jail implemented COVID-19 safeguards early on, LaJoye-Young said. They include isolation of incoming prisoners, the use of face masks, frequent cleaning and keeping more space between inmates.
Since the pandemic began, about two dozen incoming inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. They tested positive during the initial booking process.
“Most of them were asymptomatic,’’ LaJoye-Young said. “They’ve been segregated so they haven’t been able to spread COVID to anyone else in the correctional facility.’’
She says she knows of no cases where an inmate has contracted COVID-19 after they were booked into the jail.
“We think we’re being pretty forward-leaning on this, and our results have been good,’’ she said. “But we have to make sure that we’re paying attention all the time.’’
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