‘Death by Corona’?
The rapid spread of Covid-19 has made the health authorities redouble their efforts to prevent it among the people, in congested areas, in cities and suburbs. They deserve praise for their work, which is physically and mentally draining, but it is said that not enough has been done to protect one of the most vulnerable segments of society—the prison population.
The government had better learn from the experience of other countries which boast modern prison systems that conform to international standards, but are faced with the problem of increasing Covid-19 infections among their prisoners.
The US has had to contend with a surge in Covid-19 infections, in some of its prisons. More than 2,000 coronavirus patients have been detected, in a state penitentiary, in Ohio, and they account for 78% of the total number of inmates, in that institution, according to media reports. About 4,000 prisoners, in Ohio, have reportedly tested positive for Covid-19, and 12 of them have died. Given the spread of the disease in the US prisons, where conditions are much better than in Sri Lankan jails, how disastrous the situation would be, here, in case of prisoners being infected is not difficult to imagine.
The British Ministry of Justice has confirmed that about 15 prisoners have died of Covid-19, in the UK. It may be recalled that, early last month, the spread of Covid-19 and the measures adopted to control it set prisons ablaze across Italy. Riots broke out, and at least six inmates died in clashes.
There are said to be rumblings of discontent in some prisons, here, owing to prisoners’ fear of Covid-19. Two inmates of the Anuradhapura Prison were killed, last month, when prisoners staged a protest, fearing a coronavirus outbreak and turned violent, causing their guards to open fire. Thankfully, what was feared has not come to pass, in prisons, but the possibility of a wave of coronavirus infections, in those places, cannot be ruled out, given the appalling conditions, which inmates are living under. Overcrowded prisons without adequate sanitary facilities are an ideal breeding ground for coronavirus.
Some measures have been adopted to prevent the spread of Covid-19, in the state pens, here, we are told. But the fact remains that not even the naval personnel have been safe. More than 60 of them have contracted the diseases and are believed to have transmitted it to others. The need for aggressive testing, in prisons, to prevent a disastrous situation cannot be overemphasised. Even things that are visible such as mobile phones, sachets of hell dust, knives and bottles of liquor find their way into jails undetected, and the question is whether the prison authorities are equal to the task of keeping those places free from dangerous submicroscopic infectious agents like coronavirus?
The government was warned of the possibility of Covid-19 spreading, in jails, when the first few coronavirus infections were detected, in the country. The responsibility for protecting prisoners against the disease was entrusted to some individuals and organisations. But prisons remain as vulnerable as they were, we are told.
More than 26,000 prisoners are said to be kept in jails which can accommodate only 10,000. So releasing a few thousand inmates will not help make prisons less congested. What enabled the US to realise the gravity of the situation in its prisons was mass testing of inmates. Sri Lanka ought to do likewise immediately lest it should be too late. Unless urgent action is taken to ensure the safety of prisoners vis-à-vis the rapid spread of Covid-19, it may be a case of ‘death by Corona’ for most of them.
The rapid spread of Covid-19 has made the health authorities redouble their efforts to prevent it among the people, in congested areas, in cities and suburbs. They deserve praise for their work, which is physically and mentally draining, but it is said that not enough has been done to protect one of the most vulnerable segments of society—the prison population.
The government had better learn from the experience of other countries which boast modern prison systems that conform to international standards, but are faced with the problem of increasing Covid-19 infections among their prisoners.
The US has had to contend with a surge in Covid-19 infections, in some of its prisons. More than 2,000 coronavirus patients have been detected, in a state penitentiary, in Ohio, and they account for 78% of the total number of inmates, in that institution, according to media reports. About 4,000 prisoners, in Ohio, have reportedly tested positive for Covid-19, and 12 of them have died. Given the spread of the disease in the US prisons, where conditions are much better than in Sri Lankan jails, how disastrous the situation would be, here, in case of prisoners being infected is not difficult to imagine.
The British Ministry of Justice has confirmed that about 15 prisoners have died of Covid-19, in the UK. It may be recalled that, early last month, the spread of Covid-19 and the measures adopted to control it set prisons ablaze across Italy. Riots broke out, and at least six inmates died in clashes.
There are said to be rumblings of discontent in some prisons, here, owing to prisoners’ fear of Covid-19. Two inmates of the Anuradhapura Prison were killed, last month, when prisoners staged a protest, fearing a coronavirus outbreak and turned violent, causing their guards to open fire. Thankfully, what was feared has not come to pass, in prisons, but the possibility of a wave of coronavirus infections, in those places, cannot be ruled out, given the appalling conditions, which inmates are living under. Overcrowded prisons without adequate sanitary facilities are an ideal breeding ground for coronavirus.
Some measures have been adopted to prevent the spread of Covid-19, in the state pens, here, we are told. But the fact remains that not even the naval personnel have been safe. More than 60 of them have contracted the diseases and are believed to have transmitted it to others. The need for aggressive testing, in prisons, to prevent a disastrous situation cannot be overemphasised. Even things that are visible such as mobile phones, sachets of hell dust, knives and bottles of liquor find their way into jails undetected, and the question is whether the prison authorities are equal to the task of keeping those places free from dangerous submicroscopic infectious agents like coronavirus?
The government was warned of the possibility of Covid-19 spreading, in jails, when the first few coronavirus infections were detected, in the country. The responsibility for protecting prisoners against the disease was entrusted to some individuals and organisations. But prisons remain as vulnerable as they were, we are told.
More than 26,000 prisoners are said to be kept in jails which can accommodate only 10,000. So releasing a few thousand inmates will not help make prisons less congested. What enabled the US to realise the gravity of the situation in its prisons was mass testing of inmates. Sri Lanka ought to do likewise immediately lest it should be too late. Unless urgent action is taken to ensure the safety of prisoners vis-à-vis the rapid spread of Covid-19, it may be a case of ‘death by Corona’ for most of them.
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