Sacramento County Jail Offers To Pay Inmates To Get Vaccinated

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Paying jailhouse inmates to get vaccinated? Sacramento County is making the determination to halt the dispersed of COVID-19 down bars, but immoderate don’t judge the jailhouse inducement goes acold enough.

Outbreaks astatine Sacramento County’s 2 jails are prompting demands of alteration from activists and loved ones of inmates.

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“[Jail workers] request to bash it. Mandate. If you privation to support your job, you request to get vaccinated,” said a pistillate named Shelia, whose lad is successful jail.

“As of conscionable this precocious day we were up to 191 cases of covid successful the jailhouse since the outbreak,” region Health Services Director Chevon Kothari said during a committee of supervisors gathering Tuesday.

Those numbers correspond cases recovered successful conscionable the past 2 weeks. Since March 2020, determination person been 2,018 affirmative tests among inmates.

On Monday, the archetypal coronavirus-related decease astatine the jailhouse was reported of a vaccinated inmate. The vaccination complaint wrong the jailhouse is lone 30%, compared to 70% countywide.

Since July, the county’s offered to wage inmates who get vaccinated. Jonte Berry, who was going to crook himself successful to the jailhouse Tuesday, said the inducement is not capable to person him to get vaccinated.

“I’m not vaccinated now, this wouldn’t marque maine privation to get it for conscionable $20. I would pass,” helium explained.

Crystal Carrell’s fiancé, Douglas Murrin, besides passed connected the $20. She is acrophobic astir the jail’s quarantine strategy that separates inmates into pods and believes the jailhouse should person much precautions successful place. According to the county, determination are 4 types of COVID-19 “pod” lodging units successful each jail.

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Those 4 are:

• intake quarantine for caller arrivals
• close interaction quarantine for those exposed to idiosyncratic with COVID-19 but has nary symptoms
• suspect isolation for those with symptoms but pending tests
• confirmed cases

“What arises erstwhile they are quarantined and they find idiosyncratic has the virus? Then what? What astir each those people?” Crystal questioned.

Shelia’s lad has been down bars for months and claims helium was denied the vaccine.

“He was having problems with his kidneys, truthful helium wanted to cognize what astir the vaccination and they told him helium wasn’t eligible for it,” she said.

“Inmates upon accomplishment oregon offered vaccinations and provided acquisition astir vaccinations,” Kothari said successful the meeting.

Activist radical Decarcerate Sacramento is asking the region for the contiguous merchandise of inmates, fearing the outbreak volition lone proceed to grow.

“We inquire that you usage your level and your powers to enactment the contiguous merchandise of folks wrong of the jail. We inquire that you archer the territory lawyer to halt the dispersed and prevention lives by choosing not to record charges,” said activistic Mackenzie Wilson.

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According to the county, investigating procedures are successful place, including the investigating of each transfers and caller intakes earlier their intake quarantine period.

Velena Jones