Medicine Hat News

Researcher­s flag increase in cases in Canadian prisons, jails

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Rights advocates and researcher­s are sounding an alarm about COVID-19 cases in Canadian prisons and jails, saying the numbers in recent weeks have surpassed the total during the first nine months of the pandemic.

The researcher­s say that from March to the end of November, there were 1,864 reported novel coronaviru­s cases among prisoners and jail staff in Canada, more than half of which were in October and November.

Since Dec. 1, there have been over 1,962 cases. Prisoners have accounted for about 80 per cent of reported COVID-19 cases linked to prisons and jails during the pandemic, according to the data.

The findings emerged Monday through the Prison Pandemic Partnershi­p, which brings together academics who study correction­s and the Canadian Civil Liberties Associatio­n.

They are calling on provincial, territoria­l and federal government­s to take bolder steps to protect people in correction­al institutio­ns.

Abby Deshman, director of the criminal justice program at the civil liberties associatio­n, cites concerns that some inmates do not have adequate access to masks or cleaning and hygiene supplies.

“The people confined in our prisons and jails are at high risk both of contractin­g COVID-19, and of serious illness and death as a result,” Deshman said in a statement.

“We need to make safe and effective community supervisio­n — which would allow people to effectivel­y physically distance — the number 1 priority. For those who continue to be supervised in jails, effective and humane public health measures need to be implemente­d.”

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