Telford Unit will start taking inmates from county jails in July

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice announced Tuesday that it will begin accepting inmates sentenced to prison time during the pandemic from county jails on July 1 on a limited basis.

The agency reported Tuesday that it has tested more than 125,000 inmates and employees for COVID-19.

“The information gleaned from this testing has allowed the agency greater flexibility to move COVID-free offenders within the system,” TDCJ’s website states. ““TDCJ has tested more individuals than any other correctional system in the country.”

TDCJ reported Tuesday that there is one active case of COVID-19 among inmates at the Barry Telford Unit in New Boston, Texas, with 187 recovered.

TDCJ reported Tuesday that five inmates are in medical isolation, a decrease of one from Monday. Isolation is used to separate ill persons who have a communicable disease from those who are healthy.

TDCJ reports that 16 Telford employees are infected with COVID-19 and an additional 44 have recovered, for a total of 60 testing positive. The number of recovered Telford employees increased Tuesday by one though there was no change in the number of active infections reported. The agency reported the death in April of Telford Unit Correctional Officer Coy Coffman.

TDCJ reported Tuesday that 271 inmates at Telford are in medical restriction.

Medical restriction is used to separate and restrict the movement of well persons who may have been exposed to a communicable disease to see if they become ill.