Inmates Are Trying to Contract COVID 19 to Get Early Release

Inmates at a Los Angeles County jail deliberately tried to infect themselves with COVID19 in the hopes of getting an early release, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Monday. Surveillance video released by the Sheriff s Office appears to show men at Pitchess Detention CenterNorth County Correctional Facility passing around a mask allegedly contaminated with the virus. Twentyone men tested positive for the virus within a week of the incident, but the diagnosis is unlikely to result in any of their releases.