COVID-19 Exposes Need for Progressive Criminal Justice Reform

Nowotny, Kathryn M.; Bailey, Zinzi; Omori, Marisa; Brinkley‐Rubinstein, Lauren

doi:10.2105/ajph.2020.305707

Cited by 76 publications

(93 citation statements)

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“…In conclusion, the process of case review and the exercise of organizing teams to promote long-term system changes is noteworthy and is one potential tool for correctional reform. There is a grave need for this type of work during the time of COVID-19 as incarcerated persons, particularly those of color, are among those at most risk of contracting the virus (Nowotny et al, 2020). Decaerceration during this time has the potential to reduce the spread of COVID-19, as social distancing is rarely possible in jails, which can have potential long-term effects on community transmission.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Systematic Case Review Strategies: An Application for Jail Population Reduction

2020

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Jails are a critical part of the criminal justice system but, until recently, have been omitted from discussions of reform. The goal of the current study is to describe and evaluate a collaborative, problem-solving initiative designed to reduce the jail population in St. Louis County, Missouri. The initiative was implemented as part of a research-practitioner partnership and is designed around a case review model, deemed the Population Review Team (PRT) commonly used in epidemiological analysis and problem-solving policing models. The outcome analysis suggests that the implementation of the PRT was associated with a significant decline in the total jail population, the number of individuals held on nonviolent felonies, and those held for over 100 days. The collaborative project provides one model for criminal justice systems reform and a tool for decarceration.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The outcome analysis suggests the efficacy of multi-agency cooperative work for reducing jail populations. The model also has the potential to be a tool to address critical incidents, like novel coronavirus , which has had a disproportionate effect on jailed populations (Nowotny, Bailey, Omori, & Brinkley-Rubinstein, 2020).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic Case Review Strategies: An Application for Jail Population Reduction

2020

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“…Populations in jails and prisons that have been conceptualized as deviant present a problem during the COVID-19 pandemic because inmates are unhealthy relative to the general population due to factors such as a lack of health care access, and the absence of sanitary conditions and inability to social distance in these facilities means that COVID-19 can easily spread (Beaudry et al, 2020;Montoya-Barthelemy et al, 2020;Nowotny et al, 2020). As a result, there has been a push to release inmates to reduce the spread of COVID-19.…”

Section: Salient Target Populations and The Subcategorization Of Devimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In states where prisoners are viewed as more deviant, health care expenditures to this group are reduced (Nicholson-Crotty & Nicholson-Crotty, 2004). COVID-19 has been framed as a deadly virus that can severely impact criminal justice institutions and their surrounding communities (Montoya-Barthelemy et al, 2020;Nowotny et al, 2020), but this has not resulted in protections for all of those in the criminal justice system. In Arkansas, a health secretary referred to criminal justice institutions as "high-risk settings where covid-19 can spread very easily, very rapidly, but they're also closed systems and they don't necessarily represent the situation in Arkansas in general" (Davis, 2020, para.…”

Section: Salient Target Populations and The Subcategorization Of Devimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Though individuals in jails and prisons account for a small percentage of the general population, their infection rate is 2.5 times higher than the rest of the U.S.-even surpassing those in nursing facilities (Equal Justice Initiative, 2020). During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a push to release certain inmates, in part, to prevent the virus from spreading in crowded facilities (Montoya-Barthelemy, Lee, Cundiff, & Smith, 2020;Nowotny, Bailey, Omori, & Brinkley-Rubinstein, 2020), and in part, to provide relief for those individuals who are more likely to place additional strain on prison hospital facilities and the overall criminal justice system (BondGraham, 2020). 1 Although federal and state prisons have released few of those incarcerated, local jails have led the way in implementing early release policies (Prison Policy Initiative, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Salient target populations and the subcategorization of deviants in the release of inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic

Lofaro

McCue

2020

Administrative Theory & Praxis

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Prisons and jails throughout the United States have reduced their populations to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It is posited herein that as a result of the pandemic, criminals have been subcategorized and given preferential treatment based on their degree of deviance. Applying the salient target populations concept, it is argued that public officials have been able to "cherry pick" criminals with a more positive construction-e.g., the nonviolent, the elderly, or those otherwise at risk of death from the virus-while further perpetuating a negative view of those deemed too deviant for benefits-e.g., those accused of violent or sex crimes. This practice has perpetuated social injustices in the criminal justice system by defining individuals by their crimes and withholding protections from the virus as a result. The Los Angeles County jail system is used as an illustrative case study throughout. Implications and avenues for future research are explored.

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Carceral and Climate Crises and Health Inequities: A Call for Greater Transparency, Accountability, and Human Rights Protections

Golembeski¹,

Dong²,

Irfan³

2021

World Med & Health Policy

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The United States has approximately 5 percent of the world's population but incarcerates nearly 25 percent of the world's incarcerated population and produces nearly 25 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Climate change and hyperincarceration are causes and consequences of structural racism and economic deprivation, which disproportionately affect structurally disenfranchised citizens, including lower-income communities, communities of color, and people with disabilities. Empirical evidence exists regarding the adverse health effects of climate change and mass incarceration, which occur in cascading and overlapping categories and include preventable death, illness, and injury. Researchers underscore the medical vulnerability of incarcerated populations, who are increasingly susceptible to climate-driven exposure pathways and mental and physical health outcomes involving extreme temperatures, natural disasters, infectious diseases, and displacement. Intersectional structural drivers, such as anthropogenic climate change and hyperincarceration, undermine social and political determinants of health equity. Policymakers and health professionals can advance understanding and mitigate present and anticipated public health threats by increasing transparency, accountability, and human rights protections with an emphasis on decarceration and decarbonization.

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COVID-19 Exposes Need for Progressive Criminal Justice Reform

Cited by 76 publications

References 1 publication

Systematic Case Review Strategies: An Application for Jail Population Reduction

Systematic Case Review Strategies: An Application for Jail Population Reduction

Salient target populations and the subcategorization of deviants in the release of inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic

Carceral and Climate Crises and Health Inequities: A Call for Greater Transparency, Accountability, and Human Rights Protections

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