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Some people currently incarcerated in the Davidson County Sheriff's Office jail system will be released early as a response to the spread of COVID-19 in Tennessee.

“We fully expect to have COVID-19 positive cases in our facilities. It’s critical we reduce the inmate population now. As criminal justice leaders we need to take action because of the serious impact this virus will have on sheriff’s office staff and inmates,” Sheriff Daron Hall said in a Thursday release.

The shift will allow approximately 15 people to be released immediately.

The goal, DCSO spokesperson Karla West said, is to do what's possible to reduce that population and encourage other parties in the criminal justice system to do the same.

Advocates worry the inability of inmates to self-isolate or control their access to hygiene may spread any exposure to the virus rapidly through the population.

Experts say jails and prisons are particularly vulnerable to infectious disease, with large numbers of people confined to areas that lack space for the type of social distancing spelled out in guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And misdemeanor arrests have gone up over the past two weeks, according to DCSO. The department reported intake logs showed 279 misdemeanor arrests from March 10-16, up 22 from the 257 logged from March 3-9. Data on trends over a longer period of time was not immediately available.

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The Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed Wednesday that although the department is urging officers to use precautions, their directives on issuing warnings or citations is unchanged.

"Officers are practicing social distancing as much as possible," MNPD spokesperson Don Aaron said in an email.

The department has also indicated they will triage calls to handle certain cases over the phone where the presence of an officer is not required to safely handle the incident. MNPD has not stopped responding to calls.

On Thursday, Chief Steve Anderson announced he is encouraging officers to use their discretion in the use of state citations instead of physical arrests to reduce the chance of COVID-19 exposure within Nashville’s detention facilities and to Sheriff’s Office detention staff.

Most misdemeanor offenses qualify for the issuance of citations so long as the defendant is able to prove their identity, according to the release.

Those issued citations do not post a bond and are given a future booking date.

Anderson also announced that officers, on a temporary basis, are authorized to serve outstanding misdemeanor arrest warrants to defendants through citations rather than physically arresting them.

Anyone arrested for felony crimes will continue to be physically arrested and taken to jail.

Hall said in a release he wanted to move away from the status quo.

"We must take bold action, and the system cannot continue to operate under a 'business as usual' mindset," the release read. “As sheriff, I am working to reduce the number of individuals in our custody, and it’s imperative all criminal justice leaders do the same.”

DCSO is expanding the pre-trial release criteria to allow people being held on misdemeanor charges without a current conviction to be released on their own recognizance into the community ahead of trial.

More people may be released in the future once they are processed under the new pre-trial release guidelines.

Also, Hall plans to immediately eliminate the work-release program, where some inmates are housed at the jail but work in the community. Those persons are being furloughed and sent home, West confirmed in an email.

DCSO is working with the Chief Public Defender Martesha Johnson to compile a list of medically high-risk individuals who may qualify for release, including pregnant inmates, the agency said.

Last week, the public defender's office called for the release of those individuals, citing enhanced risks of contracting the virus in close quarters, sometimes unsanitary conditions, general poor health and the large turnover of people moving through the facilities as a reason to reassess the population immediately.

"The consequences of a COVID-19 outbreak in Nashville’s jails would be particularly devastating, will threaten the public at large, and efforts to contain the spread of illness would be costly to the city," a March 13 release from the Nashville Public Defenders read.

Reach reporter Mariah Timms at mtimms@tennessean.com or 615-259-8344 and on Twitter @MariahTimms.