From The Hill
As the United States faces a deadly new wave of COVID-19 infections, we must address the low rates of vaccination among the nation’s half-million correctional officers. Across the nation’s 7,000 jails, prisons and other detention settings, these low rates threaten the lives of not only these staff and their communities but also detained and incarcerated people. These low rates also reflect deeper problems relating to the lack of attention to the health of correctional officers and detained people alike by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state departments of health.
Most correctional staff have been offered the vaccine, but the low acceptance rates create a common scenario in which more incarcerated people than correctional staff have been vaccinated. Inside correctional facilities, even a single infection can spark a rapid explosion of cases.
A year ago, the number of infections behind bars was many times higher among detained people than staff. But now we see more infections among staff, despite them being a smaller group. As officers become sick, many of the basic functions of the facilities can grind to a halt, with dangerous results, including forced multiple overtime shifts for staff and extended lockdown for incarcerated people, including those with serious health problems. Continue reading >>>
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