Another 23 state inmates at the Daviess County Detention Center have received early release over the last two weeks at the request of Gov. Andy Beshear. The move was made in light of a rise in Kentucky’s COVID-19 cases.
In late August, Beshear announced the commutation of sentences for 646 medically vulnerable inmates, as well as those who were nearing the end of their sentence.
Following the latest round of commutations, 53 total inmates at DCDC have qualified for early release since May, as 30 inmates had their jail sentences commuted during the first round.
Despite the most recent commutations, Jailer Art Maglinger said the number of intakes at DCDC had risen slightly since mid-May, at which time he reported the jail housing a historically low number of inmates.
At that time, DCDC had 474 inmates compared to an typical average number of around 730.
Now, however, Maglinger said the number of inmates was closer to 550.
“We’re still not overcrowded,” he said. “We’re still following the same procedures as before. Every intake quarantines before going into the general population.”
Maglinger said he imagined the recent lift of a Daviess County District Court order, which had previously given local law enforcement the option of citing people for certain crimes rather than incarcerating them, would steadily increase the number of inmates over time. That order was lifted by the Kentucky Supreme Court last week.
“Outside law enforcement might broaden their focus now,” Maglinger said.
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