Press Release from Yolo County Sheriff’s Office: The Yolo County Sheriff’s Office is committed to public safety. To that end, we have made important decisions in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to protect the health of staff, inmates, and the community. Unfortunately, the efforts of this Office and the efforts of our public safety partners throughout Yolo County are not being considered as decisions at the state level are made and imposed upon us.
Effective Monday, April 13, the California Judicial Council instituted a new emergency order mandating $0 bail for most misdemeanors as well as non-violent felonies, while also mandating the release of other, potentially dangerous, pre-trial inmates. We are concerned about the consequences that the blanket release of inmates will have here in Yolo County.
The Sheriff’s Office will continue to ensure the safety and security of the people who live and work in our facilities, and the continuation of access to medical, and mental health services for the inmate population. We have, with the cooperation of all Yolo County law enforcement, effectively reduced our jail population to numbers 250 below our maximum capacity. This allows for inmates to be individually housed and guarantees appropriate social distancing. Additional efforts we have made include enhanced medical screening procedures for all incoming inmates, a screening for all inmates already in custody, and daily medical screenings for all staff arriving for duty.
While the Sheriff’s Office is prepared to address exposure to COVID-19 through infection control practices already in place to prevent the spread of any communicable diseases, it is important to note that at this time there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Yolo County Jail. However, we currently have a ten-bed isolation area and are prepared to utilize a new 32-bed pod for isolation if needed.
Our efforts had been successful and struck a balance between caring for the welfare of inmates while maintaining public safety. It is our hope this rule does not negatively impact any citizen of Yolo County or our state. As written, this rule will remain in effect for 90 days after the termination of the Governor’s emergency order.
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