Georgia Department of Corrections – Changes to Protocols Due to COVID 19
The general trend in Georgia is increasing exponentially with a second waive and a 7-day moving average positivity rate of 8.4% and trending upward (GDPH Dashboard, 2020). The highest number of positive cases are reported in Whitfield County (more than 950 new cases in last 2 weeks per 100,000 residents) and adjacent Murray County (780 new cases in the last 2 weeks per 100,000 residents) in the northwest corner of the state. While neither county has a major city, they are near the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattahoochee County exceeded 856 new cases in the last 2 weeks per 100,000 residents, which is home to Fort Benning. Surprisingly, the City of Atlanta and surrounding counties are not currently hot spots but are experiencing increases in positivity rating similar to the state as a whole.
The George Department of Corrections (GDC) maintains a COVID-19 Dashboard similar to the one provided by the State Department of Public Health (GDC Dashboard, 2020). It provides inmate and staff statistics for positivity and deaths. While the graphics so not provide a trends graph, the information by facility shows that most facilities currently have a lower number of infected individuals with the exception of the medical jails. Contact visitation remains suspended at least through November 30, 2020 under Governor Kemp’s orders (GDC COVID 19 Updates, 2020). In person visitation requires 12 foot distancing, masks, and physical barriers between guests and inmates. Visitors must schedule visits ahead of time and cannot include children under the age of 12 years old. Under normal conditions, the visitation period is up to 6 hours but under the current COVID-19 restrictions that is limited to 2 hours.
County Jail
The following counties were selected based on population and/or position in the state.
Whitfield County, reported as late as August 10, 2020 that none of the inmates had tested positive for COVID-19 (Anderson, 2020). This is attributed intensive screening and segregation of new inmates for 14 days prior to adding them to the general population. Whitfield County has the highest number of community cases in Georgia. No further information was provided.
Chattahoochee County, located in southwestern Georgia, has minimal information readily available for jail procedures and/or COVID information. This county has a high rate of COVID-19 infection but information regarding conditions in the jail are unavailable. Inmates are only held in the jail awaiting trial or if sentence is one year or less (JailExchange, 2020). All inmates with sentences longer than one year are transferred to the state or federal prison systems.
Washington County is located in central Georgia. Inmates are only held in the jail after arrest, if awaiting trial, or if sentenced to one year or less jail time (WCGA, 2020). Inmates sentenced to longer than one year are transferred to other facilities.
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Type of Facility | Family Visitation | Attorney Visitation | Commissary/Money for Expenses | Other Programs | ||
General Information | Hours and Parking for Visitation | Inmate Property Release | ||||
State-Run Correction Facility |
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Whitfield County |
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Chattahoochee County |
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Washington County |
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Infection Rates and Death Rates
The general trend in Georgia is increasing exponentially with a second waive and a current positivity rate at 8.4% for the state.
County Jails
Whitfield County includes the City of Dalton. Whitfield County has the highest rate of infection as of November 18, 2020 of the 159 counties in Georgia (GDPH Dashboard, 2020). As of August 10, 2020, there had been no reported cases of COVID-19 in the county jail but more recent information was not found (Anderson, 2020).
Chattahoochee County includes Fort Benning and has minimal information provided about the procedures or COVID-19 impacts.
Washington County provides some information on procedures and it is unclear if the on-site video visitation is a response to COVID-19 or an existing policy. In October, 2020, the jail reported positive cases for employees and inmates (40/29News, 2020).
Type of Facility | Infection | Death | |||
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Number | Positivity Rate | Number | Death Rate of Positive Cases | ||
State Jails | Inmate | 2,183 | undetermined | 80 | 3.7% |
Employee | 1,062 | undetermined | 2 | 0.2% | |
Whitfield County | Inmate | 01 | undetermined | 0 | undetermined |
Employee | 0 | undetermined | 0 | undetermined | |
Chattahoochee County | Inmate | Not disclosed | undetermined | Not disclosed | undetermined |
Employee | Not disclosed | undetermined | Not disclosed | undetermined | |
Washington County2 | Inmate | Not disclosed | undetermined | Not disclosed | undetermined |
Employee | Not disclosed | undetermined | Not disclosed | undetermined |
References
40/29News. (2020, October 19). Washington County Jail reports positive COVID-19 cases. Retrieved November 20, 2020 from 40/29 News: https://www.4029tv.com/article/washington-county-jail-reports-positive-covid-19-cases/34406652
Anderson, R. (2020, August 10). No positive cases of COVID-19 among inmates at the Whitfield County jail. Retrieved November 20, 2020 from Daily Citizen-News, Dalton, Georgia: https://www.dailycitizen.news/news/local_news/no-positive-cases-of-covid-19-among-inmates-at-the-whitfield-county-jail/article_5d16ad14-d697-5d97-b782-774cab82514f.html
GDC COVID 19 Updates. (2020, November). COVID-19 Updates. Retrieved November 19, 2020 from Georgia Department of Corrections: http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/
GDC Dashboard. (2020). COVID Dashboard. Retrieved November 19, 2020 from Georgia Department of Corrections: http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/content/CVD_Dashboard
GDPH Dashboard. (2020, November 18). COVID-19 Dashboard. Retrieved November 19, 2020 from Georgia Department of Public Health: https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-19-daily-status-report
JailExchange. (2020). Chattahoochee County Jail. Retrieved November 20, 2020 from JailExchange: https://www.jailexchange.com/city-and-county-jails/georgia/chattahoochee-county/chattahoochee-county-jail
WCGA. (2020). Jail Information. Retrieved November 20, 2020 from Washington County, Georgia: https://washingtoncountyga.gov/departments/sheriffs-office/jail-information/
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