This article highlights intra-regional variation in the extent of the COVID-19 outbreaks in South America generally and then provides an assessment of the nature and extent of outbreaks in South American prisons. Country-level differences in front-end, withinprison, and back-end early release mechanisms are also described. The article concludes with an assessment of two alternative future directions for prison reform across this region.
This article documents the extent of COVID-19 outbreaks in the North American, Central American, and Caribbean regions, and then compares the country-specific COVID-19 mitigation strategies implemented in the largest prison systems in these regions. We offer a preliminary assessment of the short-term impact of the COVID-19 prison mitigation strategies used in these regions, within both correctional and community settings. At this time, it appears that the governments with greater success controlling COVID-19 outbreaks in these regions are the governments adopting early prison and jail population reduction strategies.
This article examines country-level variations in the extent of COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons and jails across the African region. Differences in the use of front-end, in-prison, and back-end mitigation strategies are identified. We conclude our regional overview by providing a preliminary assessment of the short-term impact of these varied mitigation strategies on inmate and staff health outcomes, including both physical health and mental health. Both the intended and unintended consequences of governmental responses to COVID-19 outbreaks are considered.
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