Oconee jail precautions being taken

Oconee Sheriff Mike Crenshaw takes part this morning in a conference with staff at the White House and the U-S Department of Corrections to determine what kinds of resources the federal government can provide local law enforcement as it goes about carrying out its duties during the national emergency. Meantime, the job of arresting law breakers will go on as usual, although all incoming inmates will be screened to ensure they are not bring the coronavirus in the detention center. The facility has the capability to isolate a certain number of inmates. In the event of a sizeable outbreak of the virus in the Oconee jail, the Sheriff’s Office will look to outside agencies to form a regional facility where Oconee prisoners could be house safely. In recent days, the jail population has been running between 170 and 180 inmates a day. All volunteer groups that routinely come into the detention center to offer help, such as representatives of the faith-based community, are no longer allowed access to the facility. Conversely, all state inmates involved in work-release programs, such as litter pick-up, are being confined to the jail.