By Nate Gartrell and Annie Sciacca, The Mercury News, April 16, 2020
Arrests that result in jail bookings have dropped to staggeringly low rates throughout Contra Costa, in response to state and local directives aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the county jail system.
Over the past 30 days, the rate of new inmates being booked in Contra Costa jails fell by 84 percent, from a norm of roughly 60 per day to roughly 10 per day, Sheriff David Livingston told the county Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday meeting. The jail system is at 36 percent capacity, and the bulk of the roughly 700 remaining inmates were booked on violent felony charges, Livingston said.
The sharp drop is a result of statewide and local changes aimed at reducing incarceration and jail intake; incoming inmates represent one of the biggest risks of a coronavirus outbreak in the county jail system. So far, no Contra Costa inmates have tested positive, but a lone staff member has, county health officials said.
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