COVID-19 Resources
Remember since visitation has resumed in the wake of COVID-19 shut downs, there are new rules - such as scheduling the visit in advance online - as well as ongoing restrictions to visits which may occur as a result of IDOC safety and security concerns, including lockdowns. Lockdown information is available on the IDOC website. There may be times when visitation is restricted for numerous reasons, such as an increase in COVID cases at the prison. In order to stay updated and avoid the frustration of a canceled visit, JHA encourages visitors to check the IDOC website AND call the prison prior to traveling great distances to ensure visitation is occurring.
Sections below include:
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General Resources
COVID-19 and the criminal justice system (curated by The Prison Policy Initiative)
Resources include:
Scored evaluations of all 50 states’ responses to the pandemic in prisons and jails
Five ways the criminal justice system could slow the pandemic
Is social distancing possible in prisons in jails?
Can we safely release people from prison right now?
Examples of demand letters and policy recommendations
National Commission on Correctional Health Care’s COVID-19 Resource Center
Resources include input from national experts in the field.
COVID-19 in our Prisons & Jails
COVID-19 Data by State (The Marshall Project)
Information available: Number of cases, Number of deaths, Trends over time
National Prisoner Statistics program – Coronavirus Pandemic Supplemental Survey, 2021 (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
National and Statewide Responses to COVID-19 Recommendations (Brennan Center for Justice)
Information about the responses to the following recommendations: (1) Reducing jail and prison populations, (2) Free telephone and video calls, and (3) Waived commissary fees for hygiene essentials and waived co-pays for medical care.
COVID-19 in Prisons: Worldwide News (International Corrections & Prisons Association)
Page is updated daily with news from various sources.
Justice Action Network’s COVID-19 Update Page
This site is regularly updated to share positive steps taken to reduce the impact of COVID-19 and to bring attention to places where steps are not being taken to protect prisoners.
The Council on Criminal Justice’s Report on COVID-19 in State and Federal Prisons (Prepared for the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice September 20)
Questions addressed include “How do COVID-19 cases and deaths in prisons compare with the rates for the general population?” and “How do COVID-19 infections vary by the type and location of a prison?”
Key findings:
On average, the COVID-19 death rate in prisons is twice as large as the death rate in the general public
The rate of COVID-19 cases in prisons is more than 4 times the rate of cases in the general public
The highest rates of COVID-19 are in prisons operated by state governments, prisons in the southern region of the U.S., and prisons with over 1,000 inmates.
Mass Incarceration, COVID-19, and Community Spread (December ‘20)
This Prison Policy Initiative report outlines initial findings immediately useful for policymakers and advocates. In brief, however, this study finds that:
COVID-19 caseloads grew more quickly over the summer of 2020 in nonmetro counties with more people incarcerated.
COVID-19 caseloads grew much more quickly over the summer of 2020 among counties in multicounty economic areas with more people incarcerated.
Mass incarceration added to COVID-19 caseloads in multicounty economic areas and states. Nationally, this impact reached a tragic scale: Mass incarceration added more than a half million cases in just three months.
Prisoners’ Health is a Matter of Public Health (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 4/17/20)
Key takeaways: (1) The well-being of prisoners is linked to the health of the country as a whole (2) Planning is key to protect their safety and the safety of the community
Recommendations for Prisons to Prevent and Reduce COVID-19
CDC Guidelines for Correctional Facilities
CDC recommendations for correctional facilities include enhanced cleaning practices, social distancing strategies, screenings and temperature checks for visitors, and medical isolation of prisoners with COVID-19.
“4 Ways to Protect our Prisons and Jails from Coronavirus” (The Hill, 2/29/20)
Evaluate the number of people entering jails and prisons
Use standardized data collection
Identify and house together people with COVID-19 and those who are at high risk of serious illness
Communicate with prisoners, their families, and the staff who work with them
Mass Testing and Intake Screening May Reduce COVID-19 Spread in Prisons (Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy, 8/21/20)
Results of 3 studies are highlighted:
Harvard study showed alarmingly high infection rates among incarcerated people
CDC study showed mass testing and periodic retesting might prevent widespread transmission
CDC study showed that a protocol for screening new inmates might reduce COVID-19 spread in prisons
How Can We Flatten the COVID-19 Curve in Prisons? (New England Journal of Medicine, 5/28/20)
Key findings: release as many people as possible; suspend arrests and sentences for low-level crimes and misdemeanors; and isolate infected prisoners.
COVID-19 Fact Sheet: Practices for Jails and Prisons (The Justice Collaborative)
Steps to reduce the potential harm from COVID-19 include releasing medically vulnerable and older prisoners; eliminating medical co-pays in prisons; providing hand sanitizer, soap, cleaning supplies, and other sanitation items; improving ventilation in facilities; and conducting regular temperature checks.
How to Prevent and Manage COVID-19 in Prisons (DIGNITY Danish Institute Against Torture, Last updated 7/16/20)
A synthesis of recommendations issued by international organizations.
World Health Organization Statement on COVID-19 in Prisons (5/13/20)
Recommendations include reducing overcrowding, providing health care of the highest quality, ensuring continued access to routine health services and treatments, and respecting the human rights of the prisoners.
Medical Isolation Should Not Look Like Solitary Confinement (Journal of General Internal Medicine, 7/6/20)
Those in medical isolation can be housed with others who also have COVID-19; should have increased access to items like television, radio, books, etc. to help make the isolation more bearable; should have easy access to medical and mental health professionals; and should not be housed in solitary confinement units.
We Must Release People from Prisons & Jails (Corrections1, 3/29/20)
Those recommended for release are those at high medical risk; those who pose a low public safety risk; any person age 50 or older within 2 years of a parole or release date; any person who has been granted pardon or parole and is awaiting release pending administrative processes.
Releasing Prisoners is Key to Slow Spread of COVID-19 in Prisons (Newsweek, 4/30/20)
Key Takeaways: (1) Social distancing measures won’t work in prisons without changing the number of people in the facilities. (2) If legislators make the commitment to release prisoners, there are many tools to help make it happen.
The Facts: COVID Vaccines for Incarcerated People in Illinois (Chicago Appleseed)
Video: Fighting COVID-19 in the Black Community (Bright Star Church of Chicago, Pastor Chris Harris; Northwestern Medicine, Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MSc Vice Dean Diversity & Inclusion)
Additional Resources
Correctional Oversight during COVID-19
But Who Oversees the Overseers?: The Status of Prison and Jail Oversight in the United States, (by Michele Deitch, The American Journal of Criminal Law, May ‘21)
Locked Out, Looking In: How Correctional Oversight Agencies are Adapting During the COVID Crisis (November ‘20)
Recommendations include:
Encouraging corrections agencies to publish daily statistics about COVID-19 in their facilities
Encouraging corrections agencies to provide regular briefings for family members of incarcerated people
Establishing a method for free and immediate contact between incarcerated people and oversight organizations
Staying in regular contact with families of incarcerated people
Obtaining surveillance footage
Conducting surveys of incarcerated people
Considering conducting virtual inspections
Re-entry Resources
Resources from The Education Justice Project of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The EJP Reentry Guide Initiative produces three guides for people leaving prison and for family members, friends and service providers who support them. These guides are downloadable online, or click here to request hard copies via mail. Or click here to create a custom list of resources.
How to advocate on behalf of those who are incarcerated
JHA’s information sheet on seeking early release for incarcerated people
Mourning Our Losses Toolkit to advocate on behalf of incarcerated people (searchable by state)
Illinois Prison Project toolkit
Designed to help families and incarcerated people file emergency commutation petitions without the help of an attorney
Encourage Congress to include criminal justice provisions for people in prisons and jails in any COVID-19 relief bill by sending an email here.
Add your voice to ongoing efforts to release people from jails and prisons by signing onto this open letter
Contact your elected officials
Contact the Governor’s office to advocate for the release of people in custody who are not a threat to public safety at Springfield 217-782-6830 or Chicago 312-814-2121
Contact your elected representatives to engage them in the fight to release people from our prisons and jails
Follow fast-moving litigation around protecting people in jails and prisons during the pandemic
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