Maricopa County Sheriff's Office being sued over COVID-19 cases spike in jails

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast on March 28.

The ACLU of Arizona has filed a lawsuit against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Paul Penzone over the large spike of cases in the county's jails.

There has been more than a 5,000% increase in the amount of cases in the county's jails, the ACLU of Arizona said in a statement. 

In the lawsuit, the nonprofit called for the release of medically vulnerable people from jails, so they could self-quarantine in a safe environment.

"It is imperative that the county release those most at risk from COVID-19 due to medical vulnerabilities in order to prevent senseless death, allow for social distancing within the jail, and flatten the curve for the whole community," senior staff attorney at the ACLU's Racial Justice Program, Olga Akselrod, said.

The lawsuit also called for the Sheriff's Office to update its COVID-19 jail policies to comply with current CDC guidelines and up testing measures to track, contain, and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has shown its inability to safely house medically vulnerable people," ACLU of Arizona criminal justice staff attorney Jared Keenan said. "Dangerous conditions are allowing the virus to spread rapidly. Yet no one can know the full extent of infections in the jails because testing has been so minimal. We need the court to step in to ensure lives are protected." 

The entire lawsuit can be seen here.

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