About 100 alleged thieves, low-level drug offenders and probation violators jailed at the Worcester County House of Correction were released last week because of a new federal cap on the jail’s chronically high inmate population.
About 60 percent of the released inmates are detainees awaiting trial at the West Boylston jail, which is under a court order to hold no more than 1,451 prisoners by tomorrow, said jail Deputy Superintendent Jeffrey R. Turco.
“Frankly, this reaffirms what the sherrif (Guy W. Glodis) has been fighting for for two-and-a-half years. The jail is at 190 percent capacity and a public safety crisis is upon us,” Turco said.
All prisoners recommended for release by Glodis were reviewed by Superior Court Judge Francis R. Fecteau last week, Turco said.
Among them were sentenced inmates who were not convicted of violent offenses and had completed 50 percent of their jail sentence, Turco said. The inmates were either let go on personal recognizance or outfitted with devices for electronic, GPS or radio-frequency monitoring by the sheriff or probation, Turco said, adding: “Nobody wants to see people released prematurely from their sentence.”
Under the federal court order issued by Judge Rya W. Zobel, no pretrial detainees charged with indecent assault and battery, rape, armed assault, trafficking heroin or cocaine or violent offenses were eligible for consideration.
Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said in a statement that he is working with Gov. Deval Patrick, the Executive Office of Public Safety and court officials to address the court order.
“The district attorney’s office is opposed to the release of any prisoner serving a sentence or awaiting trial at the Worcester County House of Correction. We will seek judicial action to prevent any additional prisoners from being released,” Early said.
The court order mandates the jail’s population be reduced to 1,351 inmates by Nov. 1 and to 1,251 inmates by Dec. 1. Turco said the population was down to 1,423 people on Friday afternoon. The jail was designed for 822 inmates.
The court order stems from a 1989 federal lawsuit filed by Worcester County prisoners who complained of overcrowding. Since Glodis became sheriff in 2005, the jail has resorted to using an infirmary and gym to house inmates.
“It’s a giant step forward for people who have been living in unsafe and inhumane circumstances for months, if not years,” said Leslie Walker, executive director of the Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services.
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