Limit prison guards in the ICU during the coronavirus pandemic

Abstract

In a time when controlling the spread of the virus in the United States requires drastic measures to limit the number of people coming in and out of intensive care units (ICU), the presence of prison guards is not justified. Transfers from American prisons to hospitals have increased dramatically during the pandemic and with each prison patient comes a cohort of prison guards. The theoretical benefits of having prison guards–such as preventing escape, protecting staff, and stopping unwanted visitation–are minimal: critically ill prisoners are chained to their bed and pose minimal threat to the staff or flight risk. Unwanted visitation is already heavily regulated by the hospital. The risks of having more people in the ICU are significant during the pandemic: more potential exposures for staff, other patients, and the guards themselves. In order to limit the spread of the virus, the number of prison guards in the ICU should be limited.