"In our home state of California, at least 9,650 inmates have COVID-19 according to the Marshall Project and there have been 55 recorded deaths. COVID-19 continues to run rampant through prisons and jails all across the country and so far, politicians haven’t taken action."--Frankie Ettinger, 11th grade
We all know that one of the main rules we’ve had to follow during quarantine is staying at least six feet away from others. My family has been staying at least ten feet away just to be safe. We always cross the street when we see someone coming to further squash the risk of passing on or getting infected with COVID-19. In prisons and jails, however, this is impossible. Incarcerated people share bathrooms and cells, they eat in the same place, and can’t truly social distance, and consequently are being disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
First, let’s break down the differences between jails and prisons. Jails are mainly composed of people awaiting trials and those who are serving shorter sentences. Because of this, there’s a lot of turnover in jails which means that the chance of being infected with COVID-19 is pretty high. Prisons on the other hand are composed of people who have already been convicted and are serving longer sentences. There’s generally less turnover in prisons as opposed to jails but that doesn’t mean that it’s less difficult to contract COVID-19. In fact, five of the largest known COVID-19 clusters are in correctional facilities. What makes these facts even more heartbreaking is that about half of those incarcerated are already dealing with pre-existing, chronic health conditions. This means that they’re even more susceptible to contracting, battling, and dying from COVID-19.
In our home state of California, at least 9,650 inmates have COVID-19 according to the Marshall Project and there have been 55 recorded deaths. COVID-19 continues to run rampant through prisons and jails all across the country and so far, politicians haven’t taken action. It’s no secret that politicians don’t do much to dismantle systemic racism and COVID-19 is linked to that. Correctional facilities are disproportionately filled with Black and Brown people, a result of systemic racism. Elected officials haven’t done much to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and jails “after seeing whose lives are on the line,” as told by the ACLU. Governments have the responsibility to keep those they incarcerate safe and healthy and this isn’t happening. Mass incarceration has always been a public health issue but in the crisis of COVID-19, that fact has become unveiled and put in the spotlight.
How does the COVID-19 crisis in jails and prisons affect surrounding communities? Well, even though those inside correctional facilities are surrounded by gates and walls, COVID-19 will still quickly bleed into the communities near them. In California, at least 2,385 correctional officers have tested positive for COVID-19 and there have been at least 9 deaths. Correctional officers can easily spread COVID-19 to those they live with and if they’re not social distancing outside of work, that risk becomes even greater. In addition, some areas have begun to release people from correctional facilities and while this is great news, it also makes it easier for the formerly incarcerated person to spread COVID-19. There’s no doubt about the fact that prisons and jails need to drastically reduce their populations but they need to be mindful about how to release inmates in a way that doesn’t put the inmate, their family, or whoever they stay with next at risk.
And of course, there are problems with releasing inmates who have nowhere else to go. Staying in correctional facilities wouldn’t be safe because of COVID-19 but when releasing people, correctional facilities need to put together plans for former inmates who need help getting back on track. Formerly incarcerated people need to have health care plans and housing already set up for them when they leave prison or jail. This would make it easier for them to survive and to get back on track, and it would mean they would be less at risk for spreading COVID-19 because they would be in their home, socially distancing.
In San Francisco, district attorney Chesa Boudin had everyone released from correctional facilities who would be eligible for bail if they could afford it and if not, they were to stay in the facility. Will this be enough though? COVID-19 cases are still climbing and if incarcerated people are truly going to be safe, more drastic options may need to be taken. Only releasing those who can’t afford bail but otherwise were released in this case and Bay Area prisons are still incredibly overcrowded. San Quentin is dealing with a massive COVID-19 outbreak right now.
Adamu Chan, an inmate at San Quentin interviewed by the New York Times says, “I am very concerned. There’s no way to social distance. We all eat together. We have a communal bathroom. There’s no way to address a public health issue in an overcrowded facility.” San Quentin has been releasing inmates as this virus worsens but changes need to happen inside correctional facilities as well. Inmates from San Quentin have been released using something called Project Hope, an organization that helps correctional facilities place recently released people into hotels when they have nowhere else to go. According to NAACP, there has been a 73% increase in COVID-19 cases since May and that cases will continue to rise in correctional facilities as more people get arrested from protesting, something that shouldn’t be happening in the first place.
How can those outside of correctional facilities help? One idea that was brought up when I attended the ACLU’s summer advocacy program was that those released from correctional facilities with nowhere to go could be housed at empty hotels and stadiums. Because of COVID-19, neither of those places are being used much and there are some hotels that are completely empty. Putting pressure on those who run big hotel chains to house formerly incarcerated people could help to get those released into safe housing. To put pressure on your representatives to address what’s going on in prisons and jails, contact your representatives.
If we all do our part to educate ourselves and those around us and put pressure on those in power, we can help stop the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and jails, and get justice for inmates who have been affected by this issue. To learn more about the cruelty and injustices incarcerated people face, read more here and here.
First, let’s break down the differences between jails and prisons. Jails are mainly composed of people awaiting trials and those who are serving shorter sentences. Because of this, there’s a lot of turnover in jails which means that the chance of being infected with COVID-19 is pretty high. Prisons on the other hand are composed of people who have already been convicted and are serving longer sentences. There’s generally less turnover in prisons as opposed to jails but that doesn’t mean that it’s less difficult to contract COVID-19. In fact, five of the largest known COVID-19 clusters are in correctional facilities. What makes these facts even more heartbreaking is that about half of those incarcerated are already dealing with pre-existing, chronic health conditions. This means that they’re even more susceptible to contracting, battling, and dying from COVID-19.
In our home state of California, at least 9,650 inmates have COVID-19 according to the Marshall Project and there have been 55 recorded deaths. COVID-19 continues to run rampant through prisons and jails all across the country and so far, politicians haven’t taken action. It’s no secret that politicians don’t do much to dismantle systemic racism and COVID-19 is linked to that. Correctional facilities are disproportionately filled with Black and Brown people, a result of systemic racism. Elected officials haven’t done much to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and jails “after seeing whose lives are on the line,” as told by the ACLU. Governments have the responsibility to keep those they incarcerate safe and healthy and this isn’t happening. Mass incarceration has always been a public health issue but in the crisis of COVID-19, that fact has become unveiled and put in the spotlight.
How does the COVID-19 crisis in jails and prisons affect surrounding communities? Well, even though those inside correctional facilities are surrounded by gates and walls, COVID-19 will still quickly bleed into the communities near them. In California, at least 2,385 correctional officers have tested positive for COVID-19 and there have been at least 9 deaths. Correctional officers can easily spread COVID-19 to those they live with and if they’re not social distancing outside of work, that risk becomes even greater. In addition, some areas have begun to release people from correctional facilities and while this is great news, it also makes it easier for the formerly incarcerated person to spread COVID-19. There’s no doubt about the fact that prisons and jails need to drastically reduce their populations but they need to be mindful about how to release inmates in a way that doesn’t put the inmate, their family, or whoever they stay with next at risk.
And of course, there are problems with releasing inmates who have nowhere else to go. Staying in correctional facilities wouldn’t be safe because of COVID-19 but when releasing people, correctional facilities need to put together plans for former inmates who need help getting back on track. Formerly incarcerated people need to have health care plans and housing already set up for them when they leave prison or jail. This would make it easier for them to survive and to get back on track, and it would mean they would be less at risk for spreading COVID-19 because they would be in their home, socially distancing.
In San Francisco, district attorney Chesa Boudin had everyone released from correctional facilities who would be eligible for bail if they could afford it and if not, they were to stay in the facility. Will this be enough though? COVID-19 cases are still climbing and if incarcerated people are truly going to be safe, more drastic options may need to be taken. Only releasing those who can’t afford bail but otherwise were released in this case and Bay Area prisons are still incredibly overcrowded. San Quentin is dealing with a massive COVID-19 outbreak right now.
Adamu Chan, an inmate at San Quentin interviewed by the New York Times says, “I am very concerned. There’s no way to social distance. We all eat together. We have a communal bathroom. There’s no way to address a public health issue in an overcrowded facility.” San Quentin has been releasing inmates as this virus worsens but changes need to happen inside correctional facilities as well. Inmates from San Quentin have been released using something called Project Hope, an organization that helps correctional facilities place recently released people into hotels when they have nowhere else to go. According to NAACP, there has been a 73% increase in COVID-19 cases since May and that cases will continue to rise in correctional facilities as more people get arrested from protesting, something that shouldn’t be happening in the first place.
How can those outside of correctional facilities help? One idea that was brought up when I attended the ACLU’s summer advocacy program was that those released from correctional facilities with nowhere to go could be housed at empty hotels and stadiums. Because of COVID-19, neither of those places are being used much and there are some hotels that are completely empty. Putting pressure on those who run big hotel chains to house formerly incarcerated people could help to get those released into safe housing. To put pressure on your representatives to address what’s going on in prisons and jails, contact your representatives.
If we all do our part to educate ourselves and those around us and put pressure on those in power, we can help stop the spread of COVID-19 in prisons and jails, and get justice for inmates who have been affected by this issue. To learn more about the cruelty and injustices incarcerated people face, read more here and here.
