Kentucky is releasing more than 600 inmates in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state’s correctional facilities.
Governor Andy Beshear said Tuesday that 646 prisoners serving time for non-violent, non-sexually based crimes that are medically vulnerable or within six months of the end of their sentence will receive a conditional commutation. Of the 646, 121 are considered medically vulnerable. The governor said the reasons for the latest release are to keep those prisoners healthy and so that they can get their voting rights restored and vote.
click to download audioSince Beshear took office in December, over 1,800 Kentucky prisoners have been released early, including one who was an active COVID-19 that was mistakingly released from the Green River Correctional Complex.
Beshear said the prisoners eligible for release must meet certain criteria.
click to download audioState Executive Secretary Michael Brown said there are 4,500 fewer prisoners in the state’s jails than August of last year. Beshear said the money saved from providing for fewer prisoners can be put elsewhere in the state’s budget.
Despite the latest round of commutations, Browns said the COVID-19 problem in the state’s jails has stabilized.
click to download audioIn his daily update, the governor reported 688 new cases of COVID-19 and a positivity rate at 5-percent. 36-percent of the new cases came from Louisville and Lexington. Beshear said 96 of the cases involve kids 18 and under but did not specify how many were the result of mandatory testing for college students to return to campus.
Beshear also said the White House has moved Kentucky from red to yellow in terms of overall infection rate and added the state’s mask mandate is working.
The state reported 593 people in the hospital that are COVID-19 positive. To date, less than 10-percent of the state’s positive cases have required hospitalization and three-percent have been in the ICU.
The state also reported 10 new deaths linked to COVID-19 ranging in age from 59 in Daviess County to 92 in Scott County. It’s the fourth day this month of 10 or more deaths linked to the virus. There have been 160 deaths this month compared to 172 in July.
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