Covid Transfer, Release Order for Ohio Prisoners Struck Down

A group of Ohio prisoners who fear contracting the coronavirus while confined in close quarters had an early win in their lawsuit against prison officials overturned Tuesday by a split Sixth Circuit.

A federal judge in April ordered the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution to evaluate a conditionally certified subclass of medically vulnerable prisoners for transfer or release, and to not allow transferred inmates back into Elkton until conditions improved.

At the time the injunction was issued, 59 inmates and 46 staff members had tested positive for Covid-19, and six inmates had died.

But the prisoners brought their lawsuit as a ...