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Incarceration and COVID-19: Recommendations to Curb COVID-19 Disease Transmission in Prison Facilities and Surrounding Communities

Author

Listed:
  • Lauren Jeanne Natoli

    (Public Health Division, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA)

  • Kathy Linh Vu

    (Public Health Division, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA)

  • Adam Carl Sukhija-Cohen

    (Public Health Division, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA)

  • Whitney Engeran-Cordova

    (Public Health Division, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA)

  • Gabriel Maldonado

    (TruEvolution, Riverside, CA 92501, USA)

  • Scott Galvin

    (City of North Miami City Council, Miami, FL 33161, USA)

  • William Arroyo

    (California Rehabilitation Oversight Commission, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Sacramento, CA 95811, USA
    Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA)

  • Cynthia Davis

    (College of Medicine & College of Science and Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA)

Abstract

Overcrowding can increase the risk of disease transmission, such as that of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), within United States prisons. The number of COVID-19 cases among prisoners is higher than that among the general public, and this disparity is further increased for prisoners of color. This report uses the example case of the COVID-19 pandemic to observe prison conditions and preventive efforts, address racial disparities for people of color, and guide structural improvements for sustaining inmate health during a pandemic in four select states: California, New York, Illinois, and Florida. To curb the further spread of COVID-19 among prisoners and their communities, safe public health practices must be implemented including providing personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing of staff and inmates, disseminating culturally and language appropriate information regarding the pandemic and preventive precautions, introducing social distancing measures, and ensuring adequate resources to safely reintegrate released prisoners into their communities.

Suggested Citation

  • Lauren Jeanne Natoli & Kathy Linh Vu & Adam Carl Sukhija-Cohen & Whitney Engeran-Cordova & Gabriel Maldonado & Scott Galvin & William Arroyo & Cynthia Davis, 2021. "Incarceration and COVID-19: Recommendations to Curb COVID-19 Disease Transmission in Prison Facilities and Surrounding Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-7, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9790-:d:637422
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