Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 spread is a threatening and challenging issue for correctional systems worldwide because of many factors, particularly overcrowding and of the intrinsic characteristics of the population. The prevention measures adopted by the Italian Government were aimed to protect and preserve both inmates’ and prison workers’ health. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the adopted strategies. Methods: Data regarding Italian prisons’ occupation and prisoners’ population from January 2019 to June 2021, as well as the cumulative weekly increase of confirmed cases and the number of doses of vaccine administered among the population of inmates, the prison workers, and Italian population from November 2020 to the end of June 2021, were collected. Results: Prisons’ occupation dropped from 120% to 106% after the beginning of the pandemics. The confirmed cases between inmates were consistently lower than among the Italian population and prison workers. A time-series chart showed a time lag of one week between the peaks of the different population. Conclusions: The containing strategies adopted by the Italian correctional system have proved their effectiveness in terms of the prevention and protection of both inmate and staff health.
Highlights
The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic was first detected in China and rapidly spread around the world until, on March 12, 2020, a pandemic was declared [1]
The prevention and control of COVID-19 outbreak in prisons has been assessed as critical issue by many authors [3]
The importance of preserving both inmate and staff health required a series of measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 but that could have had a strong negative impact on prisoners’ and workers’ mental health [1,19,20]
Summary
SARS-CoV-2 transmission, as a respiratory-borne illness, is dependent on respiratory contact between individuals, detention settings are extremely susceptible to its rapid and disastrous spread, as documented for other infectious diseases by the historical spread of influenza, tuberculosis, and other respiratory pathogens [2,3]. The progression of the epidemic, as well as the unexpected and unforeseen crisis that it has induced, forced political and institutional entities to modulate their communicational and operative approach. Within this framework, the social and political systems have set their action and communication strategies as in a “combat or a war situation” [4]. The document provides advice on the prevention and management of a potential epidemic outbreak, paying particular attention to respect for human rights, and highlights the importance of adapting the operative approach to the local context [5]
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