LANSING – The Michigan Department of Corrections this week ordered electronic tethers removed from hundreds of parolees, only to rescind the order a short time later, a department spokesman confirmed Thursday.

Parole agents were ordered verbally on Monday and in writing on Tuesday to remove the electronic monitors from offenders released for a wide range of crimes, spokesman Chris Gautz said. Those crimes included home invasion and possibly homicide, though he would have to check each case to verify that, he said.

The exceptions to the tether removal order were parolees convicted of certain criminal sexual conduct and stalking crimes, Gautz said. Those offenders are required by statute to wear monitors while on parole, and they continue to do so, he said.

The order was rescinded Wednesday, Gautz said. "A decision was made within the department and it was quickly reevaluated and reversed."

He would not say why the order was rescinded, except to say that the reversal did not happen because of public safety concerns raised by Fox 2 Detroit, which is what the TV station — which was first to disclose the reversal — reported.

By the time the order was reversed, some parolees had already had their tethers removed. "They are all expected to be placed back on by the end of the day today," he said.

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The quick reversal of the tether removal order came as the department grapples with staffing issues during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gautz told the Free Press on Tuesday the tethers were being removed to free up staff time.

“We’re trying to maximize our resources," Gautz said. "And so the staff that monitor folks on tether with the stay-at-home order," for that portion of their jobs, "all they’re doing is looking at screens where they see the person’s house and see them walking in circles inside their house. It’s not the best use of time to have them looking at somebody walking around in their house.”

Gautz has said the department is working to speed up paroles amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus inside Michigan's prison system.

As of Thursday morning, the department reported 305 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among state prisoners, including 128 cases at Parnall Correctional Facility near Jackson, the worst state prison for the coronavirus.

Two prisoners with coronavirus had died as of Wednesday, officials said.

The department paroled 718 people in March of this year, compared with 670 in March 2019, he said. The department does not have a target number for April, he said, but it is taking a close look at those who are elderly, medically vulnerable or nonviolent, he said.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.