Nashville’s jail population is continuing to shrink as the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office works to curb the spread of the virus behind bars.
As of Friday, the city’s jails house 949 inmates. That’s a decrease of nearly a quarter since the first case of the coronavirus was reported in Tennessee early in March.
But even as the number of incarcerated people is dropping, the virus has still managed to spread.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office says 20 inmates and nine employees have tested positive. Of those, 14 inmates and six staff members have recovered.
Last month, the sheriff’s office opened its new Downtown Detention Center to serve as a de-facto medical ward. At the time, 119 inmates were on medical restriction — either because they were sick or had been exposed to the virus. That number is now down to 48.
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