COVID-19 and Prisons
During the current global health crisis, the main point of concern for many local, state and national leaders has been to flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19. The Center for Disease Control and other major health institutions have come up with guidelines including physical distancing, regular handwashing and recommendations to stay home. However, one area of concern that has only recently been brought into discussions is how imprisoned peoples will be affected by this disease. In prisons around the country many of these health guidelines are nearly impossible to follow or enforce. Physical distancing is unheard of in prisons with many imprisoned people sharing extremely close quarters with others. Practices like handwashing and access to good hygiene is also something that is hard to come by in prisons. Products such as hand sanitizer are considered contraband in prisons, whereas in general society this has become a necessity for many households. Taking into consideration how much more vulnerable those who are in prison will be to COVID-19 there is also the element of how certain races and communities of people will be significantly more at risk for this disease. With a disproportionate amount of those imprisoned in the United States being Black and Latino males and females, any spread of COVID-19 inside prison walls will result in a greater loss from these specific communities.
There have been many grassroot movements urging state governors and officials to free imprisoned peoples. The local Columbus group “Free Them All 614” is advocating for the complete release of all those who are imprisoned. Founder and Organizer of Free Them All 614, Dkéama Alexis has said “Incarceration in and of itself is a public health crisis”. By allowing for those in prisons to become vulnerable to the disease then one is allowing for the death penalty. With the way prisons are set up, if one person within the prison or someone who works inside gets infected, then it is no question the spread will be rapid, and people will die. Along with these organizations that are advocating for the release of all imprisoned peoples during this time, many people have taken this time to continue to question the necessity of prisons and solitary confinement measures.
With many people being tied down to their homes with limited access to the outside world or other people, this is a valuable time to become aware of the way the prison industrial system operates. If one finds themselves just a little stir crazy by staying inside with Wi-Fi, access to foods, and room to spread out then how is it that our society allows for human beings to live in small cells in horrible living conditions for years and years on end? I urge whoever is reading this to take this time of staying at home to mobilize one’s thoughts and actions. Although we cannot physically mobilize ourselves into action take this time to become aware and educated on the prison system within America and how it affects those most vulnerable including Black and brown communities, poor people, people with disabilities. There is a vast amount of literature out there that questions the notions of prison and the inhumanity that is present in these systems. Angela Davis’ 2003 book Are Prisons Obsolete? is a great place to start. In conclusion, while this is a trying and hard time for everyone in the world one of the best things you can do is realize nobody is alone in this. When it begins to feel lonesome and tiring, I urge one to go outside of oneself and see how this pandemic is affecting others.
-Sarah Homan