Trying To Slow Spread In Crowded Prisons: Federal Bureau Imposes 14-Day Quarantine On New Inmates
Social distancing is difficult for the federal system’s 175,000 inmates who share tight quarters, spend much of their time together and often lack access to good health care. Also, advocates in New York, California and several other states push for the release of older and at-risk inmates from state prisons, which they describe as breeding grounds for the virus.
The Wall Street Journal:
Bureau Of Prisons Imposes 14-Day Quarantine To Contain Coronavirus
The federal Bureau of Prisons on Tuesday said it has imposed a 14-day mandatory quarantine for all new inmates entering any of its facilities, a challenging directive for the nation’s crowded prisons as they try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The effort came as bipartisan pressure mounted for the Trump administration to transfer at-risk inmates to home detention and as civil-rights groups urged President Trump to commute the sentences of sick and elderly prisoners who could benefit from compassionate release. (Gurman, 3/24)
Stateline:
'Prisons Are Bacteria Factories'; Elderly Most At Risk
As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe, prisoner advocates are warning of the potential for a disastrous outbreak among inmates. The elderly are most vulnerable, and the U.S. inmate population is aging. Jails and prisons, crowded places where social distancing is nearly impossible, are breeding grounds for contagious disease. (Montgomery, 3/25)
The Hill:
New York To Release 300 Nonviolent Rikers Inmates Amid Pandemic
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced Tuesday that 300 nonviolent, elderly inmates would be released from Rikers Island in an effort to stem the coronavirus pandemic. The prison has seen an outbreak in recent weeks, including a New York City Department of Corrections officer who died of the virus last week, one of 13 coronavirus-related deaths in the city. (Budryk, 3/24)
WBUR:
Pain And Profits: Sheriffs Hand Off Inmate Care To Private Health Companies
A WBUR investigation found inmates in county jails suffering, and sometimes dying, under the care of companies with contracts that provide incentives to curb costs and hospital trips. These for-profit firms are increasingly taking over health care in jails here and across the country — part of a multi-billion-dollar industry with little public scrutiny.Now more than ever, sheriffs’ medical providers will come under staffing and financial strain amid this looming coronavirus crisis. Visits have been curtailed at jails across the state, and officials are debating whether to release some inmates from their cramped facilities. Sheriffs, meanwhile, are under pressure to show they can keep people safe. (Willmsen and Healy, 3/24)
