Of the 837 at-risk FCI Elkton inmates that could be moved out, 85 were convicted locally
LISBON — The federal Bureau of Prisons has identified 837 inmates of Federal Correctional Institution Elkton who are medically vulnerable to complications or death from COVID-19 and who may be eligible for compassionate release or to another facility.
Among them, 85 were convicted in Ohio's Northern District federal court, which hears cases from our region. You can read the full list below.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Ohio Justice and Policy Center earlier this month filed a class action habeas corpus petition to allow the immediate release, furlough or home confinement of "likely hundreds" of Elkton inmates who are at greater risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19, including: those who are more than 50 years old; have chronic lung disease or asthma; have serious heart conditions; or who are immunocompromised.
A federal judge later granted a preliminary injunction, ordering the prison to identify, within one day, inmates who were eligible for release.
The class of vulnerable inmates includes those who are aged 65 years or older and those with "specific, pre-existing medical conditions that are documented," reads a Friday filing in that court.
Federal judges on Thursday denied the bureau's motion to stay the release of the complete list.
The bureau previously cited concerns over releasing private health information about its inmates and sought to deliver it under seal. That was also denied, as the court ruled the discloure would not identify any particular inmates.
In denying the motion to stay, judges noted the bureau only sought a stay of the list's release after being denied the motion to seal the list.
On Friday, the bureau continued to report 97 total cases of the virus at Elkton, including 49 cases among inmates and 48 cases among staff. Seven inmates have died from the virus.
Outside of the federal suit, an additional 43 Elkton inmates are currently set for release in the next two weeks, either on full-term release or to halfway homes, said Joseph Mayle, an Elkton corrections officer and president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 607, which represents those officers.
Mass testing of the prison's entire population for the coronavirus began Thursday with those inmates, he said.
Below is the Thursday Ohio federal court filing which includes the full list of inmates eligible to be transferred out of FCI Elkton. You can search inmates' identification numbers in the Bureau of Prisons' database to review their charges and sentence information:
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Of the 837 at-risk FCI Elkton inmates that could be moved out, 85 were convicted locally."