Seizing the Moment: Policy Advocacy to End Mass Incarceration in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract

<jats:p> The mass human and economic casualties wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the deep inequities at the base of the disproportionate losses and suffering experienced by diverse U.S. populations. But the urgency and enormity of unmet needs requiring bold policy action also provided a unique opportunity to learn from and partner with community-based organizations that often are at the frontlines of such work. Following a review of Kingdon’s model of the policy-making process, we illustrate how a partnership in a large California county navigated the streams in the policy-making process and used the window of opportunity provided by the pandemic to address a major public health problem: the incarceration of over 2 million people, disproportionately African American and Latinx, in overcrowded, unsafe jails, prisons, and detention centers. We highlight tactics and strategies used, challenges faced, and implications for health educators as policy advocates during and beyond the pandemic. </jats:p>

Incarcerated individuals’ experiences of COVID-19 in the United States

“…Although many anecdotal accounts have been featured in the media since March 2020, there are few coinciding empirical articles that document these experiences. The majority of scholarly articles either present prevalence data on the burden of COVID-19 among incarcerated populations at the time of this article's publication (Jime ´nez et al, 2020;Njuguna et al, 2020;Saloner et al, 2020;Solis et al, 2020) or are conceptual in nature (Abraham et al, 2020;Alexander et al, 2020;Barnert et al, 2020;Nowotny et al, 2020;Desai et al, 2020;Franco-Paredes et al, 2020;Henry, 2020;Fair and Justice Prosecution, 2020;Johnson and Beletsky, 2020;Minkler et al, 2020;Nowotny et al, 2020;Vose et al, 2020). Articles which present prevalence data provide a glimpse into COVID-19 mortality among incarcerated individuals and provide a powerful historical timeline of the spread of the virus across multiple state and federal systems.…”

“…Conceptual articles on COVID-19 identified correctional facility settings as potential disease vectors at the very beginning of the pandemic. Scholars offer recommendations to control the spread of COVID-19 in correctional facilities including performing mass releases to quickly reduce the facility population (Abraham et al, 2020;Desai et al, 2020;Henry, 2020;Fair and Justice Prosecution, 2020;Minkler et al, 2020;Vose et al, 2020). Many authors also suggest quarantining releasing individuals (whether during custody prior to release or in the community after release) to ensure that they will not bring the virus to their next living situation (whether group-based or at home with their families; Johnson and Beletsky, 2020), although no such recommendations have been made to quarantine correctional staff between shifts.…”

“…Although many of the conceptual articles published on the intersection of incarcerated populations and COVID-19 advocate for correctional systems to perform mass releases (Abraham et al, 2020;Desai et al, 2020;Henry, 2020;Minkler et al, 2020), care must be taken to ensure that individuals have access to safe quarantine conditions to reduce the risk of spreading the virus between the correctional facility and community. Likewise, unless mass releases are paired with a major-scale up of community-based reentry services (Fair and Justice Prosecution, 2020), individuals leaving incarceration during the pandemic may not have access to needed supports and resources in the community.…”

The COVID-19 pandemic behind bars: Experimental evidence showing higher support for decarceration when framed as risk to correctional staff

“…Public support for decarceration will be key in the political effort to achieve it, and in the efforts to reduce racial disparities in COVID-19. Moreover, beginning the process of decarceration would have health and justice promoting consequences that extend beyond the current COVID-19 pandemic ( Macmadu et al, 2020 ; Minkler et al, 2020 ). Leveraging the risk of COVID-19 to correctional staff could be used by policy makers and practitioners to facilitate the political context needed to implement larger-scale policy reforms to create sustained decarceration.…”

(Beyond) Life in Prison

“…The self-defeating nature of our current approach to 'justice' has been brought into stark relief over the past two years, when prisons and jails have become incubators of the COVID-19 virus (PPP, 2021;Sapers, 2020;Minkler et al, 2020). With few exceptions, during the 2 nd and 3 rd waves prisons and jails in the United States and Canada failed to decarcerate in the name of public health (Clear, 2020;.…”