What have prison authorities done to maintain the safety of inmates?

BY STEVEN KASZAB

COVID-19 struck Canada with a vengeance in 2020 and 2021. Vaccination treatments with safety protocols have lessened this contagion’s deathly touch. What about in Canada’s Prisons? How have those held in prison fared?

There are approximately 14,000 inmates within the Canadian Federal Prison System. There were 38,786 inmates within the federal and provincial system in 2018. Approximately 29% of these inmates have come in contact with the virus, while 6% have in the general Canadian population.

The very nature of a prison’s environment allows for a contagion’s natural spread. Close quarters and interaction of inmates have placed our prison system into a crisis situation. No prison has the ability to maintain the health and welfare of many who have tested positive for the virus. Transport to hospitals that claim to be already overcrowded with those severely infected seems the only way to treat these inmates.

Our prison population, based on 2020 stats speaks of a population broken down into various categories:

• 2% are Caucasian
• 2% are Black
• 3% are Asian
• 04% are Indigenous

While 65% of inmates stay in prison for less than eight months, the threat of infection is high. Indigenous prisoners are hard hit by the pandemic, due to their high addiction rates. What do prison authorities do to maintain the safety of these inmates?

Isolation of inmates has become more pronounced, especially with inmates that refuse to be vaccinated. Approximately 69%-80% of inmates have had their two vaccinations, and this level is going up daily. Women inmates have a higher dose rate than men, similar to Canada’s general population. Prison guards and inmate caregivers have a high infection rate due to their close proximity with the inmates. Many guards simply do not go to work each day fearing their workplace is unsafe.

At the beginning of this pandemic, Corrections Canada released thousands of inmates with the intention of lightening their load somewhat. This seemed a good move on the government’s part, as statistically there was a very low reoffending by those released.

The pandemic has forced those involved in corrections to review how to maintain a prison population during a health threat, and also rethink the purpose of prison and punishment in our society. The very nature of rehabilitation and incarceration are under review.

Being in a prison at the beginning of this pandemic must have seemed like a death sentence to many. Those that manage and control our corrections facilities need every tool available to assist those they are responsible for, our miscreants, troublemakers, and unlucky social downcast.

Prison is a difficult enough place to survive without having to deal with a massive health crisis.