8 coronavirus deaths among inmates reported in Massachusetts

An inmate from an Essex County lockup died Wednesday from complications from COVID-19, while the Department of Correction reports seven inmate deaths from the coronavirus across the state, officials said Thursday.

The state’s prison population is nearly 14,000 as of early this week, both county and state officials told the Herald.

A 41-year-old man, whose identity was not disclosed, died at Lahey Clinic in Burlington after being in detention since Feb. 18, the Essex County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday.

The man had underlying health issues, the department said, and it was unclear how long he had COVID-19.

“My heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with this man’s family,” Sheriff Kevin Coppinger said in a statement Thursday. “This pandemic continues to wreak havoc bringing tremendous heartache to so many families in all walks of life.  These are unprecedented times and we all must continue to work together to find a cure for this horrible illness.”

The news comes as state officials confirmed five total deaths at the Massachusetts Treatment Center and two at MCI-Shirley as of Wednesday evening, a spokesman for the DOC said Thursday.

DOC facilities in Massachusetts have reported 256 positive coronavirus cases according to data from Wednesday evening, while a report in a Supreme Judicial Court case regarding prisoner releases says the DOC has tested 733 inmates.

County jails have tested 312 inmates with 110 testing positive for COVID-19 as of Monday, the SJC report stated. Among correctional officers and vendor staff, a combined 104 of 304 tested were positive for COVID-19.

County and state lockups are currently under scrutiny by politicians, prosecutors and civil rights groups seeking the release of criminal defendants and inmates out of jail as the coronavirus crisis persists in and out of facility walls.

A second major court case related to the release of inmates amid the pandemic is also pending before the SJC.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3d3eskF