Prisons focus on safety as normalcy takes hold

Massachusetts correctional facilities have been joining the slow march back to normalcy, with personal visits resuming on a rolling basis across the state.

According to the Department of Corrections website, there are provisos: Visitors call to schedule a visit and get addition info on visitation; personal visits are limited to one visit per inmate per week, with up to two visitors at a time (children count as visitors) and must be scheduled 24 hours in advance.

DOC facilities have had coronavirus health and safety protocols in place, including visitation areas. There’s alcohol-based sanitizer, and high-touch areas are sanitized between each visit.

According to the agency, testing and screening are ongoing. All facilities have spaces for quarantine if necessary. And prisoners are seeing more time out of their cells as appropriate, including time spent outside.

Hopefully, this will put the brakes on activists’ efforts to advance the cause of decarceration under the guise of protection from the coronavirus. Many prisoners have been sprung, without regard for community safety. Some have re-offended on the outside and flouted social distancing rules.

We may indeed see a second surge in cases — one never knows when the virus is in the driver’s seat. But the coronavirus is no longer new, and like most businesses across Massachusetts, the DOC has upped its sanitization and social distancing game. If there is another surge, it would be wise to stay apprised of what the DOC is doing to keep the inmate population safe, rather than assume it’s not enough and getout-of-jail cards should be issued.