FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Gov. Andy Beshear has signed an executive order to commute the sentences of 646 inmates across the state of Kentucky to avoid overcrowding at prisons amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"COVID-19 has impacted a number of Kentucky's prisons and jails," said Gov. Beshear.
The state has already commuted the sentences of around 1,200 inmates since the start of the pandemic. Inmates who have had their sentences reduced include those convicted of non-violent and non-sexual violent offenses.
J. Michael Brown, secretary of the executive cabinet, says many of the inmates are near the end of their prison sentence and considered at a higher health risk.
Of the 646 inmates, 121 of them have been identified by the CDC as "medically vulnerable," and the remaining 525 inmates had six months or less of their prison term.
