Incarcerated workers: overlooked as essential workers

Abstract

Objective To use the example of COVID-19 vaccine prioritization for incarcerated workers to call attention to the need to prioritize incarcerated workers’ health. Methods From November to December 2020, we searched publicly available information (e.g. Department Of Corrections websites and press releases) for 53 US prison systems, including all states, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and Puerto Rico. Coders reviewed if states had prison labor policies, if states had COVID-19 specific prison labor policies, the location of work, industries both pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the scope of work, and hourly wage. Findings were compared to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s occupational vaccine prioritization recommendations. Results Every facility has incarcerated individuals working in some capacity with some resuming prison labor operations to pre-pandemic levels. All but one prison system has off-site work locations for their incarcerated population and many incarcerated workers have resumed their off-site work release assignments. Additionally, every state has incarcerated workers whose job assignments are considered frontline essential workers (e.g. firefighters). In at least five states, incarcerated workers are participating in frontline health roles that put them at higher risk of acquiring COVID-19. Yet, no state followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended vaccination plan for its incarcerated population given their incarcerated workers’ essential worker status. Conclusion The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that incarcerated people be prioritized for vaccination primarily due to the risk present in congregate style prison and jail facilities. Furthermore, our review found that many incarcerated people perform labor that should be considered “essential”, which provides another reason why they should have been among the first in line for COVID-19 vaccine allocation. These findings also highlight the need for incarcerated workers’ health to be prioritized beyond COVID-19.

Covid-19 in US jails and prisons: implications for the next public health crisis

“…Incarcerated people worldwide were given low priority for vaccination, with only 43% of countries with vaccination plans prioritizing incarcerated people 16. In the US, labor policies did not consider incarcerated workers to be essential workers for vaccination (eg, those serving as firefighters) 17. Additionally, over 60% of prison systems worldwide experienced overcrowding, and while some released substantial numbers of people early in the pandemic, many systems have begun returning to pre-pandemic levels (eg, England and Wales) 18…”

“…Covid-19 showed that the prison and jail infrastructure is not adequately prepared to protect health in the next public health crisis, the climate crisis. As noted above, prisons and jails are overcrowded,36 have poor ventilation,37 and have inadequate labor policies for incarcerated workers 17. Furthermore, few academic publications, administrative data, or policy documents are available to help predict and ameliorate the effect of factors such as extreme temperatures in carceral settings or an increase in climate disasters that may affect the health of prisoners and the prison environment 38…”