Conditions of Confinement in U.S. Carceral Facilities During COVID-19: Individuals Speak—Incarcerated During the COVID-19 Epidemic

BackgroundAlthough prison facilities are not fully isolated from the communities they are located within, the majority of the population is confined and requires high levels of health vigilance and protection. This study sought to examine the dynamic relationship between facility level wastewater viral RNA concentration and probability of at least one positive COVID-19 case within the facility.MethodsThe study period was January 11, 2021 through May 12, 2023. Wastewater samples were collected and analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 (N1) and pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) three times per week across 14 prison facilities in Kentucky (USA). Confirmed positive clinical case reports were also provided. A hierarchical Bayesian spatial-temporal model with a latent lagged process was developed.FindingsWe modeled a facility-specific SARS-CoV-2 (N1) normalized by PMMoV wastewater ratio associated with at least one COVID-19 facility case with an 80% probability. The ratio differs among facilities. Across the 14 facilities, our model demonstrates an average capture rate of 94·95% via the N1/PMMoV threshold withpts≥ 0·5. However, it is noteworthy as theptsthreshold is set higher, such as at 0·9 or above, the model’s average capture rate reduces to 60%. This robust performance underscores the model’s effectiveness in accurately detecting the presence of positive COVID-19 cases of incarcerated people.InterpretationThe findings of this study provide a correction facility-specific threshold model for public health response based on frequent wastewater surveillance.

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The Wall Has No Name: The Persistence of the Prison in the Face of Change

Sliva,

Lin

2024

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

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Prison reform in Colorado has been halting, despite political and cultural conditions that are broadly conducive to making meaningful changes to correctional policies and practices. These conditions led to Colorado being chosen for the Prison Research and Innovation Network—a five-state consortium given funding to engineer change in one facility in each state through an action research process using community-based participatory methods. This article describes findings from the action research process in Sterling Correctional Facility—the selected project site in Colorado. The management, the staff, and the people incarcerated in this facility have generally welcomed reform efforts, but change has occurred slowly and with less effect than expected. Using an engaged participant observation approach, along with survey and in-depth interview data collected during the research process, we map the ecology of facility-level change and how local conditions have shaped the pace and reach of innovation efforts. We offer recommendations related to the reality of state-level and facility-level prison reform, especially around the need to deeply understand and be responsive to the cultural, political, and institutional environments in which change is expected to occur.

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Conditions of Confinement in U.S. Carceral Facilities During COVID-19: Individuals Speak—Incarcerated During the COVID-19 Epidemic

Cited by 4 publications

References 21 publications

Wastewater threshold as an indicator of COVID-19 cases in correctional facilities for public health response: A modeling study

Wastewater threshold as an indicator of COVID-19 cases in correctional facilities for public health response: A modeling study

Projections of wastewater as an indicator of COVID-19 cases in corrections facilities: a modelling study

The Wall Has No Name: The Persistence of the Prison in the Face of Change

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