Covid ‘Raging’ Among Prisoners Across US
News outlets cover the effects of covid outbreaks in prisons across America, including a push to seek fewer jail bookings in King County, Washington. In other news on the penal system, reports show medical care at Rikers Island in New York has being delayed for thousands of prisoners.
Stat:
Despite Biden’s Promises, Covid-19 Is Still Raging Through Prisons
On his first full day in office, President Biden promised to order the federal Bureau of Prisons to reevaluate its Covid-19 protocols and release additional data on the spread of the virus in prisons, two in a slew of pledges aimed at ensuring the United States’ pandemic response was equitable. But that specific order never came. And now, as Covid-19 is spiking in multiple federal prisons around the country, spurred by the Omicron variant and still-substandard infection control, advocates say that the BOP’s Covid-19 protocols are as broken as ever. (Florko, 2/2)
In related news about covid behind bars —
AP:
Officials Seek Fewer Jail Bookings Due To COVID, Short Staff
Public defenders and corrections officers describing inhumane conditions in King County jails are asking the county to stop booking people awaiting charges on nonviolent felony offenses amid staff shortages and a surge in coronavirus cases. The proposal, which is opposed by the county prosecutor’s office, is an effort to further reduce jail populations, which have fallen significantly since the pandemic started, The Seattle Times reported. (2/2)
In other health news about prisons and jails —
The New York Times:
Medical Care At Rikers Is Delayed For Thousands, Records Show
It started with a toothache. A 25-year-old man taken into custody last winter asked New York City jail officials if he could see a dentist for cavities. But his consistent requests for care went unanswered, according to court records and lawyers for the man, even as it became difficult for him to eat and sleep because of the pain. His mouth became infected, leaking blood and pus. He was in agony by the time he finally saw a dentist last month, nearly a year since he first requested medical treatment. He was told he would need extensive surgery. (Bromwich, 2/1)
AP:
Inmates Ask Court To Run Arizona Prison Health Care System
Lawyers challenging the quality of health care in Arizona's prisons say corrections officials don’t have the capacity to improve staffing problems that have put incarcerated people with medical and mental health issues at risk of harm. The inmates are asking a judge to take over health care operations in state prisons. In briefs filed late last week, attorneys made what amounted to closing arguments in a trial over the quality of health care in Arizona’s state-run prisons. (1/31)
The Counter:
Poor Food In Prison And Jails Can Cause Or Worsen Eating And Health Problems. And The Effects Can Linger Long After Release.
For the four years Heile Gantan was behind bars in California, she experienced frequent hunger. To lessen its pangs, she filled up on packets of dry oatmeal she purchased in the commissary, with “no water, no milk, no anything. It was really just filler food. That was a constant theme throughout my incarceration: How can I fill up my stomach?” Deprivation turned into bingeing. She thought, “‘Okay, I’m going to consume all the [cereal] I can get my hands on, so I’m not hungry when I go to sleep.’” (Nargi, 2/1)
The Eagle Times:
UVM Survey Shows High Rates Of Mental Health Issues Among Staff, Incarcerated At Springfield Prison
A survey conducted by University of Vermont researchers shows high rates of suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues among staff and the incarcerated at the state’s prison in Springfield. Department of Corrections Commissioner Nicholas Deml said the report was “concerning” and “disturbing,” but state officials now have a better understanding of what they are dealing with and what needs to be addressed. (Blaisdell, 2/1)
