\"Protecting Texans is one of my highest priorities. It is vital that we maintain the integrity of our criminal justice system and continue to enforce state law during this pandemic,\" Paxton said in a statement March 29. \"The release of thousands of arrestees justly held for felony crimes would directly endanger the public, and my office will not stand for any action that threatens the health and safety of law-abiding citizens.\"
Abbott didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from ABC News. Attempts to reach Paxton's office were unsuccessful.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/paxton-rt-er-200409_hpEmbed_3x2_384.jpg\")
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters, FILE
PHOTO: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton holds a news conference at the Supreme Court building in Washington D.C., June 9, 2016.
Prior to Abbott's order, law enforcement jurisdictions across the state had made efforts to release accused or convicted non-violent offenders.
In Travis County, judges increased the amount of detainees to get released on personal bond in order to decrease the jail population, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
In Bexar County, the sheriff's office took a proactive measure by announcing a plan that included minimizing non-violent offenses arrests, reducing the jail population by coordinating with the courts to maximize use of GPS releases for sentenced prisoners and suspending the Work Release Program until further notice.
On April 1, a Harris County judge signed an order to release up to 1,000 non-violent inmates awaiting trial on felony charges, without prior convictions for violent crimes, according to ABC Houston station KTRK.
Texas is home to the largest non-federal correctional system in the country, with 104 facilities and approximately 140,000 inmates, said Jeremy Desel, director of communications for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/abbott-gty-er-200409_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Tom Fox-Pool/Getty Images
PHOTO: Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the US Army Corps of Engineers and the state are putting up a 250-bed field hospital in downtown Dallas during a press conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, March 29, 2020.
On Tuesday, the state's first inmate diagnosed with COVID-19 died while in medical isolation at a community hospital.
Bartolo Infante, 72, was serving a 20- to 60-year sentence in the Barry B. Telford Unit and suffered from \"a number of pre-existing medical conditions\" before he tested positive on April 3, according to TDCJ. Infante's cause of death is under investigation.
Seven other inmates from Infante's unit are in medical isolation, and the entire facility has been placed on full medical restriction.
As of Wednesday evening, 47 inmates and 56 jail employees had tested positive for COVID-19.
What to know about Coronavirus:
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