24 New Coronavirus Cases Reported At Norfolk County Jail

DEDHAM, MA — Norfolk County Jail has 24 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus since the beginning of June, according to state officials.

Since June 1, 23 inmates and one correctional officer have tested positive for the virus out of 75 tests administered. This was the largest outbreak at the facility since state officials began releasing jail test data in April.

It is worth noting though that Norfolk County Jail has already surpassed the number of tests it administered last month. In May, just 56 tests were administered.

As of Sunday, 32 inmates, three correctional officers and one staff member have contracted COVID-19.

The number of inmates at the county's correctional facility has dropped 18 percent to 318 from 388 on April 5, when a sweeping court order allowed the release of nonviolent offenders to slow the spread of the coronavirus. There were no releases under the order in the most recent report.

The ruling said people charged with most crimes should be released without bail "unless an unreasonable danger to the community would result, or the individual presents a very high risk of flight." The ruling lets people currently serving sentences of 60 days or fewer to file motions to have their sentences revised or revoked.

Across Massachusetts, 1,030 prisoners have been released from county jails under the order, including 198 in Norfolk County. The court order also said most inmates should be released on personal recognizance while awaiting trial, which factors into the 19.9 percent drop in Essex County's three holding facilities.

The ruling also ordered the Department of Corrections and parole board to speed up the process for paroling prisoners "and to identify other classes of inmates who might be able to be released by agreement of the parties, as well as expediting petitions for compassionate release."