AUSTIN – In an effort to stunt the spread of the COVID-19 virus, officials in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice have resorted to a lockdown in 15 state prisons.
Prisons include the Rufe Jordan Unit in the Texas Panhandle, which holds 1,000 inmates. Inmates are confined to their cells, as are the 1,100 inmates in the Dr. Lane Murray Unit near Austin. TDCJ officials told Click2News.com that inmates have been placed on temporary lockdown because an inmate tested positive for COVID-19.
The state has other inmates producing masks for inmates and personnel in the corrections system. Click2News reported inmates are producing 20,000 masks a day in manufacturing facilities that have been converted from making shoes, clothes and mattresses.
Inmates in medical areas are required to wear the masks and all correctional staff must wear masks while on duty.
As of April 9, there were 62 department employees, staff or contractors and 70 offenders who had tested positive according to TDCJ.
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