Is There a Temporal Relationship between COVID-19 Infections among Prison Staff, Incarcerated Persons and the Larger Community in the United States?

Abstract

Background: Our objective was to examine the temporal relationship between COVID-19 infections among prison staff, incarcerated individuals, and the general population in the county where the prison is located among federal prisons in the United States. Methods: We employed population-standardized regressions with fixed effects for prisons to predict the number of active cases of COVID-19 among incarcerated persons using data from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for the months of March to December in 2020 for 63 prisons. Results: There is a significant relationship between the COVID-19 prevalence among staff, and through them, the larger community, and COVID-19 prevalence among incarcerated persons in the US federal prison system. When staff rates are low or at zero, COVID-19 incidence in the larger community continues to have an association with COVID-19 prevalence among incarcerated persons, suggesting possible pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission by staff. Masking policies slightly reduced COVID-19 prevalence among incarcerated persons, though the association between infections among staff, the community, and incarcerated persons remained significant and strong. Conclusion: The relationship between COVID-19 infections among staff and incarcerated persons shows that staff is vital to infection control, and correctional administrators should also focus infection containment efforts on staff, in addition to incarcerated persons.

Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccination Among Frontline Workers in California State Prisons

“…6,7 Correctional staff who socially mix in the communities where they live and also have direct contact with prison residents are likely to be a significant source of introduction of SARS-CoV-2 infection into prisons. 4,8 Beginning in December 2020, California prioritized prison residents and employees for receiving COVID-19 vaccination. By mid-October 2021, 23% of California's inmates remained unvaccinated, whereas almost 40% of all of California's prison staff remained unvaccinated.…”

Geodemographic insights on the COVID-19 pandemic in the State of Wisconsin and the role of risky facilities

“…Moreover, within those systems, there may also be different data collection and reporting practices. For example, there are differences in the management of public and private prisons–or prisons that comprise a larger complex where multiple types of prison facilities co-locate (Wallace et al, 2021a , b ). For instance, in the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), information on privately managed prisons within the BOP, such as prisoner-to-staff ratios, are not reported, making it nearly impossible to understand the staff population throughout the federal prison system (Wallace et al, 2021a , b ).…”

COVID-19 community spread and consequences for prison case rates

“…However, prisons, which typically house individuals with sentences of over a year, have more stable populations than jails, which typically hold individuals awaiting trial or with sentences shorter than one year, and are often thought of as more separate from surrounding communities. However, recent research suggests that COVID-19 is highly prevalent among prison staff and has been transmitted from prison staff to incarcerated individuals in prisons, leading to outbreaks [ 9 – 12 ]. This is because physical distancing is limited in these settings, overcrowding is prevalent, personal protective equipment (PPE) is inconsistently provided and enforced, and staff are infrequently required to be tested [ 13 ].…”