Ten Urgent Priorities Based on Lessons Learned From More Than a Half Million Known COVID-19 Cases in US Prisons

COVID-19 is ravaging US prisons. Prison residents and staff must be prioritized for vaccination, but a rapidly mutating virus and high rates of continued spread require an urgent, coordinated public health response. Based on knowledge accumulated from the pandemic thus far, we have identified 10 pressing public health priorities for responding to COVID-19 in prisons: (1) accelerate population reduction coupled with community reentry support, (2) improve prison ventilation systems, (3) ensure appropriate mask use, (4) limit transfers between facilities, (5) strengthen partnerships between public health departments and prison leadership, (6) introduce or maintain effective occupational health programs, (7) ensure access to advance care planning processes for incarcerated patients and delineation of patient health care rights, (8) strengthen partnerships between prison leadership and incarcerated people, (9) provide emergency mental health support for prison residents and staff, and (10) commit to public accountability and transparency. Dedicated prison leaders cannot accomplish these public health priorities alone. We must mobilize prison leaders, staff, and residents; public health departments; community advocates; and policymakers to work together to address the pandemic’s outsized impact in US prisons. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print April 15, 2021: e1–e7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306221 )

Fathering Through the Looking Glass

In this chapter, the authors look more closely at fathers’ lives on the streets, the ways in which the criminal justice system intersected with and shaped their lives, their experiences of relating with children and mothers while incarcerated, and their perspectives on fatherhood within the institutional interstices of the streets, police, prisons, and community reentry. Key contradictions are examined that challenge marginalized fathers, including reconciling masculinity on the streets with being available and present to children, as well as reconciling norms and expectations of being nurturing fathers with preparing children for living in violent social spaces.

What Gets Measured in Reentry Research? A Scoping Review on Community Reentry From Jail and Prison for Persons With Mental Illnesses

Research on reentry for individuals with mental illnesses leaving jails and prisons lacks outcome specificity and standardization needed to advance knowledge about the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions. This scoping review aims to provide clarity about reentry outcomes by: (a) ascertaining what outcomes are a focus in reentry research, (b) explicating how outcomes are defined, and (c) identifying commonalities or gaps in outcomes reported. A search of multiple databases yielded 415 articles for potential inclusion. After independent document review by two of the authors, 61 articles were included in the review. Recidivism was the most used construct, accounting for 58% of total outcomes and 95% of criminal legal outcomes. Behavioral health indicators were reported the second most frequently and other outcomes were rarely reported. Increasing the specificity of commonly used concepts while also expanding the breadth of outcomes considered is needed to build an evidence base this area of research.

The Impact of Covid-19 on Inmate Trust in Health Care and Willingness to Seek Treatment - A Qualitative Investigation

Background and Objective: The coronavirus has disproportionately impacted vulnerable members of society. With the U.S. as the global leader in incarceration and the difficulties prison systems face implementing many of the mitigation strategies employed by the general population, the incarcerated population is in a uniquely vulnerable position particularly within an already strained prison healthcare system. Given the nature of prisons as total institutions, negative experiences with the virus coupled with a lack of autonomy could lead to a loss of trust in the healthcare system which has the potential to impact health-seeking behaviors. In this study, we aim to examine the effect of Covid-19 on Indiana inmates’ trust in healthcare. Project Methods: Data from 380 surveys distributed across Indiana’s prison system will be collected and analyzed. These results will be used to develop an interview protocol to conduct at least 25 in-depth interviews which will then be coded using NVivo to identify any emerging themes regarding their experiences with Covid-19. Prior to this, in-depth literature reviews were done on health care in prison populations and trust in healthcare. Results: The surveys and interview protocol will be developed in the ensuing months and thus no data has yet been collected. The literature review revealed that the quality and accessibility of care in prisons is lacking, an issue exacerbated by the pandemic. Because of the disproportionate number of preexisting issues, inmates worried about the ability of prison administrators to properly protect inmates from contracting the virus. Additionally, it was found that trust likely does have an effect on health, and that many commonalities of inmates are poor predictors for trust. Potential Impact: This study aims to identify potential loss of trust in healthcare systems to inform community reentry programs in developing strategies that prioritize inmate health needs and perceptions.

Collecting Social Network Data in Prison and during Reentry

This chapter provides a guide for collecting primary social network data from prisoners and reentrants. The ideal reader is a researcher who wishes to incorporate networks into a future study related to incarceration or community reentry. The chapter begins with a brief summary of two recent projects that draw on network data to study prison informal social structure and reentry. It then provides a simple introduction to social network analysis and an overview of the key challenges for conducting network research in prison. The chapter ends with a discussion of some of the potential applications of network science for understanding the prison setting and reentry experience. In so doing, the chapter provides an insider’s view of the authors’ own research experiences and a road map of likely challenges in conducting this type of research in correctional institutions.