Coronavirus: Louisiana chief justice urges district judges to help reduce jail populations

Louisiana's top judge is asking district judges to help reduce the number of inmates behind bars, describing an effort to "safely minimize" the incarcerated population to avoid the spread of coronavirus. 

Chief Justice Bernette J. Johnson wrote in her letter to district judges Thursday that an outbreak of COVID-19 in the jails would "be potentially catastrophic for jail staff, the families of jail staff and inmates."

"The decisions that you make will have a significant impact on our communities and our state and will save lives," she wrote. "Therefore at this time, it is important to safely minimize the number of people detained in jails where possible."

Louisiana has one of the highest per-capita rates of cases and deaths in the U.S. More than 9,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 310 people had died because of complications from the virus. 

At least five adult inmates in Louisiana prisons and six juveniles in Jefferson Parish have tested positive for COVID-19, WDSU reported. At least 14 Department of Corrections employees in Louisiana also have tested positive.

There have been no positive cases involving inmates or staff in Lafayette Parish. 

Johnson asked district judges to work with law enforcement agencies, the public defenders and prosecutors to conduct a "heightened risk-based assessment" of detainees, except for those convicted of felony offenses and those in the custody of the Department of Corrections. 

Among some of her guidelines, Johnson asked judges to favor normal bail amounts for those facing misdemeanor crimes, other than domestic abuse battery. For those convicted of misdemeanor crimes, she asked judges to consider time served or modified release and supervised probation. 

If the Department of Probation and Parole requests someone's parole be revoked, Johnson asked that judges work to determine if there is an alternative to detention. 

"During this very challenging time, the health of thousands of people is dependent on you, the District Judges of Louisiana," Johnson wrote. "I commend the way that many of you have already been pursuing ways to minimize outbreaks of COVID-19 in jails."

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