Prince George’s County jail administrators have agreed to four months of independent monitoring and a host of safety protocols as part of a settlement with a group of incarcerated people who sued over coronavirus concerns nearly a year and a half ago.
Support our journalism. Subscribe today. ChevronRight
The agreement, finalized last month, comes after a year of federal mediation between the parties.
In their class-action suit, the plaintiffs — eight men who were detained at the jail in spring 2020 when the novel coronavirus was spreading rapidly within Prince George’s — alleged that county leadership had failed to control a coronavirus outbreak in the jail. They said they were experiencing symptoms of the deadly virus but were not being provided medical attention or mental health support — even as they were locked inside their cells for 23 hours a day. The men also alleged that their cells were not being sanitized, that they were not being provided regular soap and hand sanitizer, and that the jail was flouting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety guidelines.
Advertisement
Story continues below advertisement
The county has denied all those allegations and did not admit fault in the settlement.
“Both parties were committed to resolving the suit in an effective manner that resulted in a safe and secure correctional facility during the pandemic,” the county’s Office of Law said in a statement. “The county is, and always has been, committed to protecting the inmates at our jail in the best manner possible. The settlement reinforces that commitment.”
County attorneys and private legal counsel for the jail’s contracted medical provider fought the suit. The men were represented by Civil Rights Corps, a nonprofit that provides legal and advocacy support to those affected by the justice system.
Story continues below advertisement
“We think the steps outlined in the settlement are the absolute bare minimum that is necessary to provide for the mental and physical health of people inside the jail,” said Civil Rights Corps attorney Ellora Israni, who was involved in the mediation.
Advertisement
She called the settlement a “step in the right direction,” but added that the group thinks it is “absolutely paramount that the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections be held to a very high standard of accountability.”
D.C. officials ignore growing pressure to end 23-hour coronavirus lockdown at jail
Part of that accountability mechanism will be monthly jail inspections by Carlos Franco-Paredes, an infectious-disease specialist and expert for the plaintiffs. Department of Corrections Director Corenne Labbé is also required to send Civil Rights Corps monthly logs of the jail’s coronavirus cases, isolations, vaccinations and tests. Those logs will include an accounting of the time those incarcerated at the jail were allowed outside their cells.
Story continues below advertisement
Since spring 2020, when the jail went on lockdown, detainees were allowed one hour a day to leave their cells and make phone calls, shower or exercise. The settlement requires the jail to make “all reasonable efforts” to ensure those incarcerated now receive at least three hours outside their cells each day.
Advertisement
Other provisions under the settlement include monthly coronavirus testing of detainees who are medically vulnerable and required testing during intake. The jail will also form cohorts within the population and test 10 percent of those each month as a way to head off possible outbreaks.
Prince George’s jail has improved testing, conditions to protect inmates from covid-19, judge finds
The jail is also mandated within the coming weeks to post informational signs about the coronavirus and the vaccines. The county said 424 people detained at the jail have received a coronavirus vaccine so far.
Story continues below advertisement
Those experiencing symptoms of the virus will not have to pay for medical care, and the staff is mandated to “triage” sick call requests at least once a day. Detainees in medical isolation will also receive mental health assessments upon request.
Since the onset of the pandemic, 192 detainees and 139 jail staff have tested positive for coronavirus.
Advertisement
The settlement outlines other hygiene and sanitation stipulations, including professional cleaning of the jail and providing soap at intake to those detained, then again every two weeks.
Because those incarcerated at the jail have not had in-person visits with family or friends since the pandemic began, the settlement also mandates that the county continue to give people three free 10-minute phone calls per week, not including legal calls.
Story continues below advertisement
The terms of the agreement last through the end of the year, but could be extended by the judge overseeing the settlement. The extension, however, could not exceed an additional two months.
Prince George’s jail officials acted with ‘reckless disregard’ to coronavirus outbreak, judge finds
The county said it paid $100,000 in attorneys’ fees to the plaintiffs and paid another $81,000 to its outside counsel.
The allegations of the original suit were amplified last summer, when a host of celebrities, musicians and Broadway performers recorded videos of themselves reading the testimonies of those incarcerated inside the Prince George’s County jail. The campaign, called Gasping for Justice, drove dozens to sign up for a grass-roots court-watching organization led by two formerly incarcerated women.
Advertisement
Story continues below advertisement
Court Watch PG, along with the group Life After Release, has worked closely with Civil Rights Corps for the past year and a half to advocate for those incarcerated throughout the pandemic.
Once jailed, these women now hold courts accountable — with help from students, retirees and Fiona Apple
While vowing police reform, a majority-Black county has spent $17.6 million fighting officers who allege racism
The county where Black women hold power — a few miles from the White House