The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday appointed two investigators to examine the D.C. Jail to ensure that inmates and staff are protected during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a court document.
The court ordered Grace Lopes and Mark Jordan — both former monitors of the D.C. Department of Youth and Rehabilitative Services — to conduct unannounced inspections of jail’s facilities and compliance with pandemic protocols.
Ms. Lopes and Mr. Jordan are instructed to answer 20 questions, such as are inmates suspected of having COVID-19 isolated from others, is there a sufficient stockpile of personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies at the jail and who has access to it, and are new inmates being quarantined for 14 days.
The American Civil Liberties Union of D.C. and the Public Defender Service for the District last week filed a class-action lawsuit against the D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC) for “its flagrant disregard of basic public health measures to limit the spread and severity of a COVID-19 outbreak inside the D.C. Jail.”
As of April 8, 37 jail inmates and 11 DOC personnel have tested positive for the coronavirus. Of those cases, eight residents and eight staff members are no longer in isolation and returned to work.
• Sophie Kaplan can be reached at skaplan@washingtontimes.com.
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