The Dane County Sheriff’s Office has suspended all programming, contact and non-contact visitations, as well as inmate work release at the Dane County Jail due to CODIV-19, according to a statement released on their Facebook page.
In the statement, the sheriff’s office noted the decision was made to protect the health of all who live in, work in and visit the Dane County Jail. All visitations, both contact and non-contact, have been suspended with the exception of attorney visits.
Also, inmates with outside employment will not be allowed to volunteer or work. These suspensions are effective until at least April 1st, but the sheriff’s office will continue to monitor the pandemic for any updates. The statement also said that no jails in the U.S. reported active COVID-19 cases.
“We are seeking to be proactive in preventing active COVID-!( cases in the Jail to both protect our community of 747 residents and over 200 staff members and the community outside the Dane County Jail,” the statement said.
In addition to suspending programming and visitations, the sheriff’s office has also made temporary changes in its operation to help minimize the risk of COVID-19 to the public. These changes, which were also published on their Facebook page, included moving all probation, parole hearings and court hearings to video conferences, jail medical staff carefully screening anyone booked into the jail and quarantining any inmate showing signs of illness.
Other suspensions included foreclosure sales, releases of evidence, DNA collection and patrol ride-alongs.
“We will continue to provide updates on any further changes, as well as when these services are reinstated,” they said on Facebook.
