Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has profoundly impacted correctional facilities, requiring significant adaptations to protect the health of inmates, staff, and visitors. This section offers articles that examine the response to the COVID-19 pandemic within correctional systems, including containment strategies, vaccination efforts, and the long-term implications for prison health care. Understanding the effects of COVID-19 on correctional operations is essential for professionals navigating this ongoing public health challenge. For related information, explore resources on Correctional Healthcare.
Mayor Adams said the ultimatum is about safety, though this decision will likely impact the Correction Department particularly hard
As of Monday, more than 200 IDOC staff were out of work due to COVID-19
“The staff morale is the lowest I’ve seen in the 19 years I’ve worked for the bureau,” a union official said
Several jails have reported receiving inmates who tested positive with no prior knowledge of their diagnosis
Continuity of operations and disaster recovery planning were challenging enough for jails and prisons – and then COVID-19 happened
Seven state prison inmates and three employees have died from COVID-19 complications
The jail has been diverting new arrestees to a nearby county to avoid detaining more people in a building where 48 inmates and 17 COs have tested positive
“We have protected over 80% of the inmate population from the virus,” Corrections Secretary Mark Inch said
The executions of Christopher Andre Vialva and William Emmett LeCroy are scheduled to be carried out at the prison complex next week
Daniel Ruiz is one of 27 inmates and employees who died from COVID-19 after San Quentin took in 121 transfers from the California Institution for Men
A judge faulted the detention complex in Farmville for an outbreak that affected more than 90% of the center’s nearly 300 detainees
Chris Stanek, 46, who works at South Woods State Prison, was taken from his home by ambulance on May 20 after falling ill
Thurston County Commissioner John Hutchings offered strong words on the lack of precautions taken by some deputies and corrections officers
The judge is requiring the sheriff to create a policy for masks, including providing masks to inmates and requirements for them to wear the masks
Employees said the U.S. Marshals Service is ignoring BOP protocols on inmate quarantines and transfers, endangering COs, inmates and the community
Prisoners allege they’re frequently locked in cells for 24 hours a day without sufficient access to masks, soap or cleaning supplies
As of August 20, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice resumed limited family visitation to facilities that have no active COVID-19 cases
Officials said they do not have a timeline on how long the guardsmen will stay to help operate the Miami Correctional Facility
The visitation plan instructed wardens to “immediately begin developing local procedures to reinstate social visiting”
Religion
Teresa Stanfield is normally behind bars, talking with inmates about how she changed her troubled life, but COVID-19 has forced her out of prisons
The infections are at the La Palma Correctional Center in Eloy, which has so far seen a total of 356 cases
The parking lot at the Turner Guilford Knight Corrections Center turned into a blood donation center
Sgt. Gilbert Polanco’s wife struggled to maintain her composure, collapsing into her daughter’s arms
An official said no decisions have been made yet on which and how many prisons will face closure
An unofficial running tally of the daily numbers shows that there have been 225 positive results out of 870 tests conducted through mass testing
Elizabeth Jones, 58, was a 19-year veteran CO with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The study examined 13 prisons and jails in California, Colorado, Ohio and Texas, and three federal prisons in states that weren’t identified
Johnnie Brown, who worked at the Reception and Medical Center, had been with the agency for almost 15 years
It’s unclear how many inmates would be released as a result of the order, but it could be in the hundreds
The judge agreed to a request from lawyers of inmates who filed a lawsuit over conditions to allow a medical expert to conduct an inspection of the facility
The department reported that it has more than 1,300 active cases among inmates and more than 1,200 active cases among corrections employees
Katrina Pinkerton described the department’s “serious neglect” in managing the spread of COVID-19 at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in an email
Inmates claim late and inadequate masking protocols, as well as a lack of physical distancing and other safeguards, left potentially hundreds of inmates exposed
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