A Franklin woman was shocked when she found out her son was being held with other inmates in close quarters at the Johnson County jail.
Sherry Fauris’ son, Joey Fauris, was sentenced Aug. 6 for drug possession and operating while intoxicated and taken to the jail. He is scheduled to be released in January, according to court and jail records.
Sherry Fauris is the first to admit her son should be serving time. He needs to get clean and stay that way for good, she said. But the long-overcrowded jail is putting inmates in a dangerous situation as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to threaten lives, she said.
“I know it is not a hotel and they are being punished,” Sherry Fauris said. “But he didn’t kill; he didn’t rape; he didn’t steal anything. He is in there for marijuana.”
When Fauris’ son told her about the conditions in his cell, where he was being held for a 10-day quarantine period with at least two other men in tight quarters, she immediately began to ask questions.
Fauris reached out to the sheriff’s office and several media outlets for answers. She wondered how this could be allowed to happen during a public health crisis.
The sheriff himself responded to Fauris.
Sheriff Duane Burgess confirmed last week Joey Fauris is being held in a quarantine cell with two other men.
Like all inmates, Fauris was held for the first day of his sentence in an area of the jail where all incoming inmates are monitored to determine if there is any reason to believe they are a danger to themselves or others, Burgess said.
Then, Fauris was moved to the quarantine cell, where all inmates are held separately from the general jail population for 10 days so jail staff can observe them and make sure they aren’t exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms, Burgess said.
The size of a quarantine cell is 11 feet, 11 inches long and 6 feet, 11 inches wide, Burgess said. Given the layout and size of the cell, it would be “nearly impossible” to maintain the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended six feet of distance from another person at all times, he said.
Months ago, Burgess worked with the jail’s medical provider on quarantine procedures and mitigation efforts.
During an initial COVID-19 outbreak at the jail in May, when more than 100 inmates and several staff tested positive, Burgess also put in place practices recommended by the Indiana State Department of Health. At the time, inmates were also educated about how they could protect themselves from COVID-19, he said.
Though the quarantine cells are small, the procedures were designed to minimize risk for the general population, Burgess said.
“I can’t put them in a bigger cell with up to 25 or 30 people around and risk them getting COVID,” he said. “I don’t want to go back to when we tested 300 inmates and have 120-plus who test positive.”
During booking, inmates are temperature checked and asked if they have had any contact with an infected person. Jail staff fact checks any claims that an inmate had contact with an infected person and gets them tested if necessary, he said.
During the initial quarantine period, inmates who reported they did not have any symptoms at booking are asked to report any new symptoms that may develop, Burgess said. After 10 days with no symptoms, inmates are moved in with the general jail population.
Though conditions may not be ideal, it is best the county can do right now due to issues with jail overcrowding and the jail expansion, such as keeping the jail clean and secure during construction, he said.
The sheriff on Thursday reported 297 of the jail’s 322 beds were in use, and Five of those inmates were in quarantine, he said.
The jail population dipped as low as 231 in May. But its limited space has started to fill up again, as police are making more arrests and judges are issuing sentences again, Burgess said.
“The population is going up now, so we might have to look at it (quarantine procedures) again," Burgess said. "But I am doing what I can with limited space.”
Though it is not possible for all inmates to be six feet apart at all times, Burgess said other precautions are being taken. Inmates are given cleaning supplies to clean their spaces each day, and masks are available if they want one. Inmates are not required to wear a mask, as they are among those excluded from the mask mandate issued by Gov. Eric Holcomb’s executive order.
“We can give masks out, but sometimes you have inmates drinking after each other. We educate people on social distancing, but that only goes so far,” Burgess said.
Jail staff are required to wear masks on the job, and are temperature checked and asked health-related questions before each shift, he said.
Burgess is looking at other ways to protect staff and prevent another outbreak at the jail with federal coronavirus response funds that are available. Ideas include a virus killing HVAC treatment and installing enhanced protective barriers in patrol cars, he said.
As for Sherry Fauris, the sheriff put her mind at ease. Burgess called her and spoke with her about her son’s situation, conditions at the jail and some quality of life changes he planned to make, including ordering new mats and ramping up cleaning procedures, she said.
"I appreciate him for doing what he said he would do. (It) means a lot," Fauris said.
Still, she said, she hopes her son makes it home safely to his family and daughter without contracting COVID-19.
