The world is currently facing a public health emergency in coronavirus (COVID-19), but little has been said about the people in our prisons and juvenile detention centers.

The impact is felt strongly by prisoners in the majority of countries around the world. Even relatively well-resourced criminal justice systems have significant problems in reducing the pandemic’s impact in prisons. The repercussions are particularly severe in prison systems that were already overburdened, whether as a result of systemic neglect, a lack of manpower, or other factors. As a result, insufficient sanitation, hygiene, and health services have resulted in bad prison conditions.

Today’s record-high prison populations are the result of the criminal justice system’s failure to make the necessary changes in response to the pandemic. There is a fear of an unregulated spread of infection and escalating death toll loom with little to no data from jail authorities on current prevalence of testing and total disinterest from judges on prison conditions. Even more concerning is the complete lack of priority given to prisoners nowadays.

In public places to limit the spread of COVID-19 and avoid overburdening our health system, governments and health experts have proposed that we use the most effective technique to help flatten the curve: social distance. In prisons, though, it is nearly impossible. Because of the nature of prisons, individuals are always in close proximity to one another, separating sick people from healthy people to avoid disease transmission is impossible. This makes prisons the ideal breeding environment for COVID-19, which would spread like wildfire across the prison system once one person became infected on the inside. Almost one-third of those who enter prison have a chronic medical condition, such as asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes, or are disabled. It is quite risky for the inmates.

To avoid a mass outbreak, the government must take immediate steps to limit the number of inmates in prisons, particularly those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19.

1. Granting leave to those most vulnerable to COVID-19, such as the elderly, individuals with chronic illnesses, people with disabilities, and people with mental illnesses.
2. Granting early release to persons in prison who are nearing the conclusion of their sentence, as has been done in several places around the United States;
3. Granting parole or leave to those in prison who have been convicted of low-level offenses and who, if released, would pose a low risk to the community;
4. Granting children and young people parole or leave so that they can remain with and be supported by their families during this public health crisis; and
5. Making it easier for children, young people, and adults on remand to obtain bail if they have not been proven guilty of any criminal offense and pose a low risk to the community if freed.

Prisoners, like everyone else, are entitled to basic human rights. And despite requests from human rights organizations and others, nothing has been done to address these challenges effectively. State governments should endeavor to preserve the physical and mental well-being of people who stay in custody, particularly those who are most at danger, rather than relying solely on simple lock downs. If not, the coronavirus in prisons might be disastrous in more ways than one.