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Europe: coronavirus, prison fever / 2021
Pandemic behind bars — Update 31/12/2021
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Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
28 January. The prisons of North Rhine-Westphalia were expected to soon be equipped with thousands of rapid tests.
Contact with the outside world¶
23 February. Activities, visits, and walking time, were suspended atHamm prison after a positive case was detected in the facility.
Identified cases¶
23 February One prisoner tested positive at Hamm prison.
19 January. Sixteen inmates and seven staff members tested positive at [Itzehoe prison]. All of them were quarantined in single cells.
England and Wales¶
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
26 October. An NHS report advised that 42% of healthcare appointments made for prisoners were missed. A shortage of officers to escort prisoners to hospitals was often to blame.
5 October The prison officers’ trade union (POA) national chair said : “We must remain cautious when expanding any regimes or activities. Only 50 percent of prisoners are fully vaccinated with a refusal rate of 32 percent. Only 38 percent staff have declared that they are fully vaccinated”. Prison activities had not returned to pre-pandemic levels and the vaccination rate, considered low, contributed to this.
29 September According to the annual report from the Berwyn prison independent oversight committee, prisoners had to wait an average of six weeks to see a doctor and a whole year to see a dentist during the COVID-19 pandemic.
8 September. Ministry of Justice statistics indicated that drug use in prisons in 2020 and 2021 had not changed since the previous years. The pandemic has not stopped the supply of drugs in prison. Prolonged segregation has likely led to the relapse of a large number of prisoners according to SISCO, a Scottish organisation which helps prisoners in recovery. These statistics reflect the failure of the anti-drug policy implemented by the government in 2019.
1 September. The Featherstone HMP facility indicated that in order to address unacceptable behaviour during the pandemic, the prison “introduced a ‘restricted-regime’ which replaced the use of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (I.E.P.) policy, to challenge unacceptable behaviour. This applied to instances such as when a prisoner would simply spend too long in the showers.”
The Public Health England report indicated that 56% of incarcerated people received their first vaccine dose in early July. One of the reasons for this low vaccination rate is vaccine scepticism. England and Wales refused to submit their data on vaccinations. to the OMS.
26 July. The government announced that prison workers identified as COVID contacts would be exempt from quarantining under a daily testing programme.
19 July. In some facilities, more than half of the prisoners refused to be vaccinated. The rate of refusals is much higher than in the general population. In four London prisons - Wandsworth, Belmarsh, Thameside and Isis - 2,722 men, for example, were offered the vaccine in early June and 1,254 refused.
9 July. Prison governors in East Yorkshire have confirmed that COVID-19 restrictions will be extended. It initially planned to lift them on 19 July. The prison service states that prisons remain “high-risk” environments. At present, the only activities available to prisoners are those that are necessary for the running of the prisons, such as cooking and waste management.
23 June. Fair Trials published a report about life in detention during the past 15 months. Entitled “Locked up in Lockdown: Life on Remand During the Pandemic “, includes the individual stories of 23 people remanded in 19 prisons during the pandemic. These stories were collected through an advertisement placed by Fair Trials in the magazine Inside Time.
21 June. The government announced that all adult prisoners in England should have received their first dose of the vaccine by 19 July. Dr Eamonn O’Moore, national lead for health and justice at Public Health England (PHE), said 38% of 73,000 prisoners had received their first dose by 11 June.
7 June. Approximately 594 prison staff were interviewed about compliance with and the effectiveness of COVID-19 measures. About 42% said that their colleagues complied ‘often’ and 50% ‘sometimes’ or ‘never’. Regarding their effectiveness, 26% said they were ‘very good’ or ‘good’, 38% ‘acceptable’ and 35% ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’. Of those surveyed, 79% of male staff and 86% of female staff felt that their mental and physical health had deteriorated during the pandemic.
3 June. Some prison staff have been taking their dogs with them to work. They consider that the presence of the dogs helps to reduce the stress level of prisoners and defuse tensions. This arrangement was introduced at the Park facility at the beginning of the pandemic.
10 May Annual figures from the Justice Ministry showed that the number of self-harm events in 2020 is one of the highest ever recorded. Compared to 2019, there was a difference between men (- 13 %) and women (+ 13 %). This increase has ledthe House of Commons Justice Committee to launch an inquiry into the mental health situation in prison and the effects of long periods of isolation related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A study conducted by EP:IC Consultants of 800 prisoners showed that 20% of prisoners had declined vaccination ─twice as high as in the general population. Among the reasons for turning down the vaccine, prisoners mentioned the lack of information about its side effects and an overall distrust of authorities.
3 May. The government was accused of failing to disclose all data relating to the vaccination of prisoners. The only figures released were reportedly shared during Q&A sessions in Parliament.
26 April. Issues of mental health and self-harm have greatly increased among female prisoners, with a 24% rise in acts of self-harm in the space of three months. The increase is due mainly to the suspension of visits which is leaving women isolated and unable to see their children.
21 April. Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, indicated that the pandemic has placed Bedford prison “under considerable pressure”. Close to 20% of prisoners tested positive in February and “a large proportion of staff” has been absent. There are more assaults between prisoners and on staff than in other prisons.
4 April. The daily routine of people incarcerated at Forest Bank has been upset by the pandemic. Prisoners spend 23 hours a day in their cells, “with time on the exercise yard limited to just 30 minutes”. They were all given televisions and in-cell bingo games were organised to help pass the time.
13 April. According to an article, prisoners with hearing problems have been living in exclusion well before the pandemic. Without significant changes, this situation will persist after the pandemic.
18 February. Prison officers at Dovegate and at Doncaster were supplied with sensors to help with physical distancing. The devices which sound an alarm when two people come closer than two meters apart, were introduced several weeks after an outbreak of the virus in these facilities.
16 February. At Exeter prison, inmates were forced to isolate continuously, 24/7, due to a wave of infections in the facility. The prisoner’s families were worried about the mental and physical health of their loved ones. They denounced, among other things, the lack of access to showers for consecutive days, food that lacks in quality and quantity, as well as the accumulation of rubbish in cells. Symptomatic prisoners or those in contact with symptomatic prisoners at Moorlands prison were forced to self-isolate. They were not allowed to leave their cells to shower or exercise outside.
15 February. The prison staff expressed their concerns about the increasing number of infections. It almost quadrupled in two months.
5 February. During 2020, self-harm among prisoners increased in Berwyn, Preston and Styal prisons. Female prisoners were more widely affected. The Howard League denounced the use of prolonged isolation and the suspension of visits, as the main factors for the deterioration of mental health. The most serious cases of self-harm had to be transferred to a hospital.
2 February. Prisoners from Bristol, where a new variant of the virus was spreading, were transferred to Cardiff prison.
29 January. The vaccination of prisoners began in England after having already been rolled out in Wales. Vaccination mainly prioritised the most vulnerable inmates. The vaccination campaign was expected to be carried out according to the same programme planned for the outside.
17 January. The new coronavirus variant was detected in one of the three Sheppey Island correctional centres, according to local media.
12 January. A Prison Officers’ Association called for the closure of courts in order to combat the spread of the virus in Berwyn prison. New prison admissions as well as transfers between institutions contributed to the increased risk of transmission. The prison administration advised that no court closure was to be expected. Many prisoners are expected to attend their hearing by videoconference.
5 January. The prison staff would not wear masks on a regular basis. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice indicated that: “All staff (…) wear masks when social distancing is not possible”.
Judicial system¶
24 May. Charlie Taylor, Chief Inspector of Prisons, said that during the pandemic, open prisons ”have been particularly hard hit … because they have largely been unable to fulfill their main function - preparing prisoners for release“. He pointed out that prisoners have not been able to get paroled, and that some of them have also seen their parole delayed.
23 May. Prison governor’s chief said that lockdown freedoms need to be extended to prisoners . She warned there will be a “significant kickback” if prisoners are forced to spend up to 23 hours a day in their cell while restrictions are easing in the rest of the country. At the present time, prisoners are only allowed to leave their cells for certain education and training sessions and visits from outside are “limited”.
6 May. The number of prisoners decreased by 6% between March 2020 and March 2021. A Justice Ministry report also revealed that the number of prisoners awaiting trial on 31 March was the highest in ten years.
Contact with the outside world¶
30 June. The Independent Monitoring Board highlighted that pre-existing problems within education and rehabilitation for minors were exacerbated by the pandemic. Between May and August 2020, they spent at least 22 hours locked in their cells. Education provision was lacking in (Youth Offender Institutions, YOIs) in Cookham Wood, Feltham, Werrington and Wetherby. While this began to improve as lockdown restrictions eased, it did not improve at the same rate as in the community.
7 June. The launch of a COVID-19 testing programme will soon allow incarcerated people to hug their loved ones. Prisoners and adult visitors will be tested before entering the visiting room. If the results are negative, physical contact will be allowed. Nottingham Prison will be the first to pilot this programme.
28 May. The Prison Service announced that children under 11 years of age will be allowed to have physical contact with the person they are visiting. People from two different households can now visit a prisoner together.
10 May. The Chief Inspector of Prisons announced the full resumption of inspections 14 months after their suspension.
30 March. Family support networks for incarcerated people have stated that close to 300,000 children of British prisoners have been “forgotten” during the pandemic. Some prisoners have had only one or two visits. A video call system was fully deployed only nine months after the pandemic began and calls were limited to 30 minutes per month. Lawyer Jake Richards believes that the “lack of mitigating measures” constitutes a breach of privacy and family rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights.
2 February. “Non-essential” movement between prisons raised concerns in the House of Commons. Unions were particularly concerned about the exchange of papers between prisoners and teachers working in prison. Robert Buckland, Minister of Justice, responded that it is “important we balance the needs of prison security alongside the needs of prisoners to have access to education.”
Acts of protest¶
23 July. Hundreds of prisoners protested throughout England and Wales, between April 2020 and April 2021, to show their frustration over COVID-19 restrictions. There were more than 300 “incidents at height” with prisoners venting their discontent from rooftops, grills and other prison vantage points. In dozens of cases, prisoners also used makeshift weapons such as razor blades, sharpened plastic cutlery and other items seized from guards. Various reports from the Ministry of Justice indicated, among other things, that dozens of prisoners threatened or carried out self-harm after scaling the roofs.
22 June. Published press releases revealed that prisoners protested against the restrictions imposed during the pandemic. Four incidents of “concerted indiscipline” over the past 12 months were mentioned. The most serious incident took place in July 2020 at a maximum-security prison Whitemoor: 14 men occupied a shower for over eight hours.
Around 600 staff members at 49 prisons staged a strike ─the fourth strike in two months─. They blamed Novus, a prison education employer, for “failing to meaningfully engage “ with the health and safety concerns raised by prison educators. They also alleged that the management made repeated attempts to intimidate the staff who raised these issues.
15 June. Some prison officers took legal action against the government. The officers claimed that they caught COVID-19 on the job and were seeking compensation. The Prison Officers Association (POA) affirmed their support for legal action against the government when the employer’s negligence caused an increased risk of infection.
Appeals and recommendations¶
6 October The Woodhill prison independent monitoring board (IMB) declared that there were “very high levels of violence” in the facility during the pandemic.
23 September In response to requests for input, 18 women wrote in as part of the CAPPTIVE (COVID-19 Action Prisons Project: Tracking Innovation, Valuing Experience) project. They described the impact that lockdowns had on their mental and physical health during the pandemic.
5 July. The Ministry of Justice is currently conducting a consultation called “Future Regime Design”, in which prison officers give their opinion on how prisoners should spend their time. The prisoners themselves are not consulted. The government, the prison service, prison governors and prison unions stated that lockdown has reduced tensions and violence within prisons. The consultation aims to draw lessons from this experience. Dame Anne Owers, chair of the Independent Monitoring Boards, points out that lockdown has caused severe disruption to education, training, psychological interventions, social interaction and family visits in prisons. She explains: ”Now, frustration is building, as prisoners see community restrictions lifting at much faster pace than their own more extreme lockdown”. She adds that the “right lessons” to take from lockdown concern access to technology in prison, better access to housing for released prisoners and closer relationships between staff and prisoners.
4 May. Organisations were concerned about excessive isolation and its effects on prisoners, as it is thought this could have long-term adverse effects on their mental health and jeopardise their reintegration.
26 April. The Justice Secretary soundly rejected the findings of a study done by the University College London (UCL). The study showed that the death rate among the prison population is much higher than in the general population. Addressing a parliamentary group, he said: “I totally disagree, I’m afraid, with the UCL analysis about prisons I think it’s wrong, I think it’s based upon misconceptions, I reject it. The evidence, actually, over the last year, doesn’t bear it out.”
23 April. A report by SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) indicated that even if the prevalence of the virus decreases in the general population, prisons will still be exposed to a greater risk of infections and may act as “a potential reservoir and amplifier of infection for the community”. “Universal” vaccination for prisoners and prison staff is thus recommended to mitigate the risk of spreading the COVID-19 variant outside of prison.
16 March. A University College London (UCL) study pointed out that the mortality rate of incarcerated people is three times higher than that of the general population. Public health experts recommend they be given priority for vaccinations.
20 January. A member of parliament called for urgent action by government to limit the spread of the new coronavirus variant in prison. Several facilities are going through a surge of infections.
Identified cases¶
18 October. Five inmates died from COVID-19 in September.
18 October. The Department of Justice reported that 534 prisoners (adults and juveniles) tested positive for COVID-19 in September.
22 September. Five prisoners died of COVID-19 in August. These were the first deaths since April; 155 prisoners died since the pandemic started.
21 September. Aylesbury prison in Buckinghamshire announced that one of its wings was under “restricted regime”. The facility housed 17- to 21-year-old males. The number of prisoners testing positive for COVID-19 was not reported.
20 September. HMP Bullingdon prison reported three COVID-19 positive cases among its prisoners.
7 September. According to the Ministry of Justice, 12,428 of 35,900 prison staff had contracted COVID-19 by the end of July. That number does not take into account the turnover of prison personnel in the last 18 months. From the start of the pandemic to July 2021, 17,595 prisoners had contracted the virus.
14 June. No prisoners died from COVID-19 during May, the first time this has happened in eight months. Ministry of Justice figures also showed a sharp decline in the number of cases identified. Only 64 prisoners tested positive in May, two-thirds fewer than in April.
30 April. A record number of deaths was reported between January and March 2021. On average, 12 prisoners died each week, 40% more than in the previous quarter of the year. Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League, said: ”Prisons have been largely forgotten in this pandemic, but today’s figures reveal the devastating impact of COVID-19 on people living and working behind bars.”
29 April. Preston prison experienced a new surge in COVID-19 cases. One prisoner claimed that, within a week, 58 cases were reported in one of the prison wings. Infected prisoners were only allowed to go out for 15 minutes a day, just enough time to take a shower. The others were allowed 90 minutes outside their cell to keep infection rates down as much as possible.
8 April. Prison authorities confirmed that a “number of COVID cases” were detected the week before in Long Lartin prison. However, they said the number was “very low”.
3 March. An outbreak in Risley Prison resulted in the deaths of two men who tested positive for the virus. They were rushed to the hospital for breathing difficulties.
26 February. The prison administration counted 837 cases of infections across its prisons (including juvenile facilities) over a one-week period. Eight deaths linked to the virus have been recorded.
A large number of “difficult to contain” infections broke out in Winson Green prison, in Birmingham. The prison administration did not provide any figures, but noted an epidemic outbreak.
25 February. Over 120 people held at Dorset Prison on the Isle of Portland tested positive for the virus.
23 February. Half of the twelve men’s units in Peterborough Prison experienced a rise in infections. The women’s quarters were not affected.
23 February. Several dozens of positive caseswere reported at Grand Manchester (Wigan, Hindley, Salford and Strangeways prisons.)
17 February. Some twenty inmatestested positive at Gartree prison.
16 February. Over 80 prisoners and staff members at Moorlands prison tested positive.
12 February. Almost 80 inmates and staff members tested positive at Erlestoke.
11 February. A prisoner died of COVID-19 in Bullingdon prison, which was plagued by a wave of infections.
10 February. Almost half of the infectious cases identified in Rutland were prisoners in Stocken, the only prison in the county. These were some of the first positive cases detected in that facility since the beginning of the pandemic.
9 February. As many as tens of prisoners and staff members at Altcourse prison tested positive for COVID-19.
Winchester Prison recorded 78 and 22 positive cases among inmates and staff members respectively.
6 February. Guys Marsh prison confirmed the presence of several positive cases in the facility.
4 February. About a hundred positive cases were identified among inmates and staff at Wayland prison.
2 February. The House of Commons expressed their concerns given the virus resurgence behind bars. MP Zarah Sultana called it “out of control,” with a 50% death increase and 70% case increase by December 2020. The Minister of Justice, Robert Buckland, downplayed these allegations by describing the remark as a “myth.” He stated that two-thirds of prisons had “no epidemic” or “less than 10 cases.”
Stocken prison confirmed the presence of many cases of infection in four of the institution’s wings.
1 February. Lewes prison counted many positive cases among its inmates, all of whom were put in isolation in the same institution wing.
30 January. The spread of the virus intensified at Dovegate prison, where 156 positive cases were recorded.
29 January. Many cases of infection were recorded among the prisoners of Littlehey.
26 January. Ranby and Retford prisons recorded many cases of infection. The spread of the virus at these facilities contributed to a surge in cases in the region.
22 January. More than 100 prisoners and 25 staff members got infected at Hollesley Bay open prison.
21 January. Dovegate prison reported 146 positive cases. Their number had almost doubled over three days. Staff members are tested weekly to contain the spread of the virus in the facility.
20 January. The new coronavirus variant was spreading in Send and Coldingley prisons (22 staff members; 6 inmates).
18 January. Between 80 and 100 cases (inmates and staff) were identified at Hull prison and there was one inmate death. An increase in positive cases was suspected at Perry Road prison. The Ministry of Justice did not confirm an exact number.
16 January. Bullingdon prison officials declared that new positive cases were detected among inmates and staff members.
15 January. Several dozens of inmates at Caledonian Road prison were positive for COVID-19. More than 70 staff members are either on sick leave or are self-isolating. Two were hospitalised. The Ministry of Justice describe the prison facility as an “outbreak site”.
13 January. Dovegate prison reported 74 positive cases among inmates and staff.
12 January. Statistics revealed that the number of deaths (24) linked to the virus increased by 50% in December, when around 2,400 cases were recorded.
The Brixton prison service announced a surge of COVID-19 cases. Every prisoner is being tested.
11 January. Cases of infection were discovered in Chelmsford prison. According to the prison administration, this is “a very small number of cases”.
5 January. A Bure prison male inmate died in the Norfolk et Norwich university hospital after testing positive for the virus.
1 January. Several prisoners tested positive in a wing of Walton prison. A dozen prisoners were affected.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
26 May. The situation in prison is deteriorating. Several observers lambasted the authorities for not making prisoners a priority.
18 May. Ten vaccination centres were set up in prisons since the beginning of May. Government members in charge of the operation affirmed that the vaccination “was going brilliantly and was on track.” Fifty percent of prison staff members have been vaccinated, as well as 1,300 prisoners. On the other hand, the I. Care organisation was concerned that prisoners were not given priority. It is critical of the many eligibility criteria: “a vast majority of prisoners will have to wait weeks, if not months to be vaccinated”. The organisation also pointed out that the situation in prison is “still as catastrophic as ever.”
3 May. The vaccination of correctional officers began in the prisons of Lantin and Ittre. Other officers working in nearby prisons (Huy, Marneffe, and Paifve) were also included. Prisoners were vaccinated around 18 May.
19 April. The vaccination drive in prisons has started. It is targeted firstly at prison staff and some categories of prisoners (those over 65 and those with chronic illnesses). The other prisoners will be vaccinated at the same time as the rest of the population.
13 April. A wing of the Antwerp prison was quarantined following the detection of several positive cases. Staff members and prisoners were tested.
27 February. Namur prison, where the virus spread extensively, was placed in strict quarantine. Visitations, showers and access to the courtyard have been suspended. Family members of prisoners made plans to gather outside the facility in protest.
14 January. Marie Berquin, the co-president of the Belgian section of the International Prison Observatory, indicated that the measures taken by the government have helped to stem the spread of the coronavirus in prison. She reminded of the consequences, such as, the “dramatic” impact on the prisoner’s mental health and the reopening of neighbourhoods that were condemned because they were particularly substandard.
Sentence adjustments¶
12 January. The authorities reported that 135 prisoners benefited from early release since the beginning of the second wave of the epidemic. 221 people were released in the first wave.
Contact with the outside world¶
17 September. Lantin prison suspended visitations after several cases had been detected.
26 May. Physical contact between prisoners and their visitors is still banned on pain of sanctions. These restrictions have been in force for 15 months.
2 February. Prisoners’ loved ones claimed to be “at [their] wits’ end” after a year of restrictions. The new measures have allowed youth aged 12 to 15 to enter visiting rooms. Physical contact remained prohibited. Some families have chosen to stop visiting with their children: “How do you make a child of a few months old understand that they can’t touch their father?”
14 January. Testimonies criticized the reactions of prison unions: “as soon as children were given permission to come and see their fathers (…) a strike warning was filed stating that ‘if the children touch their fathers, there would be a strike’. So every time there is a small improvement, the unions directly counteract it.”.
Marie Berquin, co-president of the Belgian section of the International Prison Observatory indicated that the prevention of visits violates prisoners’ and their families’ rights to a private and family life “without sufficient mitigation”.
Acts of protest¶
16 April. Prison unions filed a strike notice for 25 April. Staff members are being treated differently depending on where they work: those in Brussels were vaccinated on a priority basis, but not those in Flanders orWallonie. All are demanding their vaccination as soon as possible.
12 April. Officers at Huy prison stopped working for two hours, effectively cancelling all movement within the facility. They were protesting the last-minute cancellation of their vaccination campaign. A delegation looking for answers met with local authorities.
3 April. Staff at Forest, Saint-Gilles and Berkendael prisons filed a strike notice. The union planned to protest understaffing. The CGSP secretary general indicated that “there are serious recruitment issues and officers are exhausted. Prison management is being jeopardized”.
2 February. Guards issued a strike notice to protest against the “easing of [visiting] rules.” They said they feared for their health.
Appeals and recommendations¶
13 September. The Central Prison Surveillance Board (Conseil central de surveillance pénitentiaire, CCSP) promoted virtual visits for prisoners and their families. However, the president of the CCSP, Marc Nève, deplored the fact “that many families are in a precarious position, as not everyone has access to the necessary tools.”
19 April. I. Care and the Belgium section of the International Observatory of Prisons affirmed that the prison situation was “explosive”. They lamented that the vaccination drive only targeted staff members and warned that prisons are “super spreaders of the virus.” In a communiqué, they demanded that the vaccination schedule be revised.
2 April. The suspension of furlough and parole (prison leave) was extended until June. The Belgium section of the International Observatory of Prisons denounced this attack on the rights of incarcerated people, calling it an ”intolerable hurdle” to re-integration. It believes that “added to loved ones’ visits being restricted and difficult detention conditions, this contributes to prisoners’ hopelessness” and lambasts the approach taken by the executive.
22 January. Olivia Nederlandt and several dozen academics judged the restrictions applied for more than ten months “inhumane”, drastically reducing the ability of prisoners to prepare themselves for reintegration. They called on the authorities to reassess these restrictions and to improve the measures aimed at reducing the prison population. They also considered it a matter of urgency for the country to collate “detailed and reliable” criminal statistics to enable scientific research and provide adequate responses.
Identified cases¶
17 September. Lantin prison recorded 30 new positive cases.
19 April. Several clusters were detected in the Namur, Termonde and Hasselt prisons. The death of an officer was reported at Gand prison.
13 April. Two staff members and one prisoner tested positive in Antwerp prison.
27 February. Almost half of the prisoners (61) and staff members (57) of Namur prison tested positive for COVID-19. Additional tests have been administered to prisoners.
Scotland¶
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
13 July. More than 104 prisoners at Low Moss prison were isolated, and 20 of them tested positive for COVID-19. A family member reported that prisoners were “dropping like flies”. She said she was “gravely concerned” and believed that the situation was “out of control”. She added: “nothing is in place for the health and safety of these prisoners. Short term and remand prisoners are not being tested so it’s spreading to other sections.”
12 July. The prison service has been accused of contributing to the spread of the virus by failing to test prisoners on their release. A person recently released from Low Moss prison tested positive the day after their release. The prison service stated that it advises all prisoners to isolate after their release, particularly if they were in a prison where cases have been recorded.
June 28. A prisoner was concerned about the lack of testing at Kilmarnock prison: he alleged that he had only been offered one test since December. He was reportedly forced to share a cell with incoming prisoners who had not been tested or isolated on arrival in detention. The Ayrshire and Arran Health Agency stated that all incarcerated people have been able to request testing since March 2021. Testing on admission is not mandatory.
26 February. Prison officials at Addiewell Prison denounced the pandemic’s mismanagement inside the prison, which has put staff at risk. Prolonged cell time for prisoners has led to violence that is difficult for the understaffed personnel to manage. Officers have been forced to reduce their isolation periods in order to return to work, and are unable to self-isolate more than twice. They’ve been threatened with disciplinary action and docked pay if guidelines are not followed.
31 January. A first category of prisoners received the jab against COVID-19 in recent weeks. Those aged over 80 were selected through this first phase of the vaccination campaign.
Judicial system¶
22 January. Close to a quarter of the prison population is awaiting trial as a result of the suspension of “less serious” trials for the past four months. Lawyers and human rights activists called for the release of five hundred inmates in a month.
Contact with the outside world¶
21 April. The prison administration announced the resumption of visits in all prisons effective 26 April, in accordance with health measures.
Appeals and recommendations¶
25 May. The Howard League called for the end to the “unacceptable high” use of remand. A study conducted by the organisation showed that between February 2020 and Spring 2021, the percentage of people on remand grew from 16.1% to 23.9%.
15 February. The prison administration admitted to not systematically testing prisoners that had been transferred between prisons. The MP behind the accusation requested the administration resolve this situation in order to protect the “prison staff, prisoners, their families and the general population”.
15 January. The Scottish Human Rights Commission wrote a letter seeking assurance from the Minister of Justice, Humza Yousaf, that the prison population is being managed during the pandemic. The number of people on remand almost doubled from 982 in April 2020 to 1,832 on 8 January 2021. The letter called for measures to be taken to address this increase of “particular concern”. It pointed out the lack of data on prison conditions since the suspension of prison inspections.
Identified cases¶
25 October. Approximately 200 prisoners in Perth prison were isolated following an increase in COVID-19 cases. The prison service confirmed that 30 people were positive in Edinburgh Road prison.
23 July. Perth prison has recorded an increase in COVID-19 cases. On 21 July, 124 people tested positive, which is 119 more than the previous week. Eighteen staff members also contracted the virus. All prisoners were quarantined as a precaution until testing was complete. They were not allowed to go to court or the gym, or have visits. However, they could have showers, go outside and use cell phones.
3 July. The number of people testing positive at Low Moss prison has increased from 30 to 50 over a few days. A member of the medical staff stated that prisoners who have tested positive are allowed to leave their cells to do their laundry or to garden. They reported that nurses are victims of “harassment and bullying” from prison staff and added: ”We’re fearing for our lives, we’re depressed and scunnered. It’s like hell.”
22 June. Almost 25 prisoners in Low Moss prison tested positive for COVID-19. A “significant number” of prisoners have been placed in isolation as a precautionary measure.
18 May. About 30 prisoners at Saughton prison in Edinburgh tested positive. Nearly 200 other prisoners had to self-isolate.
20 February. An increase in positive cases was reported in the following several facilities: Kilmarnock (247), Addiewell (90) and Dumfries (25). The number of infections almost doubled in the space of a week.
16 February. Almost 1,200 prisoners across the country were forced to self-isolate after a resurgence of the epidemic in several prisons including Kilmarnock (230), Ayrshire, Dumfries (27) and Addiewell (86). The prison administration reported a total of 346 infected prisoners in six different facilities. Many of them were said to be asymptomatic.
10 February. Six staff members and 32 prisoners at Kilmarnock tested positive for the virus.
14 January Inverness prison reported eleven positive cases. Prison officials called it a “significant” increase.
8 January. Grampian prison counted about ten positive cases among inmates and staff.
7 January. A few positive cases were identified in Inverness prison. These were the first cases reported in the prison since the beginning of the pandemic. The prison administration said there were less than five.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
31 May. All prisoners at Daroca and Zuera prisons in Aragon have been vaccinated.
6 May. SAS health services vaccinated over 1,100 Alcolea prisoners in Cordoba. Thirty refused to get the vaccine.
4 May. SAS health services kicked off a vaccination drive for prisoners. The first prisons involved were Evaristo Martín Nieto and two others in the Malaga region. They expected to vaccinate more than 17,000 prisoners around the province.
20 April. Older prisoners and those with serious illness are not on the vaccination priority list. The Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de Andalucía NGO called on the authorities to act.
1 February. The army was deployed to Teruel prison. They were in charge of disinfecting the facilities, following over 130 infections among prisoners.
Authorities announced an increase in the number of masks distributed to prisoners. The definition of what was considered a contact case or not was also clarified.
Eight officers from Herrera de la Mancha prison tested positive for COVID-19. Most of them were not in direct contact with the inmates. Those who were have been quarantined.
Contact with the outside world¶
6 June. Organisations working with prisoners indicated that the prison population seemed to be forgotten in the context of reopening the country. Half of prisons have still not allowed family visits. Prison authorities reported that family visits have been able to resume in areas with low infection rates.
31 May. The Zuera prison director in Aragon announced that vaccinating prisoners will allow for the easing of restrictions, particularly visits.
27 January. The Ministry of the Interior announced that visits, including those from lawyers, were suspended at Picassent prison for an initial period of two weeks.
Acts of protest¶
20 September. Families and loved ones of prisoners at Puerto II prison held a demonstration to protest the lack of health protocols in the facility, which likely caused the infection of 39 prisoners.
Appeals and recommendations¶
11 May. The CSIF union filed a complaint to the head of prison administration denouncing the vaccination delay: nearly 7,000 prison officers have not yet been vaccinated. The union complained about their turn coming after the prisoners who are presently being vaccinated.
Prison officials responded that more than 17,000 officers and all health staff had received their first dose. They reminded people that vaccination protocols are set by the Ministry of Health and Autonomous Communities
1 February. A prison staff authority requested additional resources to face the third wave. Staff members have been increasingly concerned about the spread of the virus. The collective known as “Tu abandono me puede matar” (”Your Desertion Can Kill Me”) has drawn attention to the advanced age of guards at Mansilla de las Mulas prison.
27 January. The CSIF trade union requested extensive screening in the prisons of Seville. Furthermore, it called for a priority vaccination campaign in prisons and psychiatric institutions.
Identified cases¶
22 October. Two wings of Malaga II prison in Archidona were quarantined. An increase in cases brought the number of identified cases to 31.
5 October Eight COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed among prisoners at Alcolea prison. The CSIF Prisiones Córdoba Union called on prison officials to conduct massive testing. It expressed its belief that the infection was more widespread than the numbers indicated so far.
10 August. Huelva prison recorded at least 15 positive cases among prisoners. Visits had been prohibited for a week due to a high spreading rate in the province.
6 August. Picassent prison faced a significant wave of contamination, with more than 155 positive cases among prisoners. A member of the prison staff also contracted the virus, and two others were placed in preventive quarantine. The Acaip-UGT union demanded a massive screening to be carried out among the agents in order to “know the real situation and to rule out new infections which could have an unforeseeable result, taking into account the dramatic situation in terms of the staff at the Center and the summer season”.
4 August. According to union sources, at least 11 prisons faceda new wave of contaminations: Las Palmas II on the island of Gran Canaria recorded 77 positive cases; Picassent, Logroño, Madrid VI, Aranjuez, Tenerife, Fontcalent, Algeciras, Zaballa and Madrid II-Alcalá also reported numerous cases. Entire units have been isolated. The prison administration estimated that 3% of the 47,000 Spanish prisoners refused the vaccine.
29 July. Picassent prison (Valence) identified 77 positive cases among prisoners; all of them have been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and showed mild symptoms. Authorities said that, besides those who tested positive, more than 400 other prisoners in 13 facilities have been under quarantine.
26 July. Foncalent prison identified 121 positive cases after conducting 201 tests. The prison administration indicated that most cases were asymptomatic or mild. The union “Tu abandono me puede matar” (Your abandonment can kill me ,Tampm) criticised the management of this outbreak of coronavirus and the delay of the screening tests.
13 July. The Prison Officials Association “Tu abandono me puede matar” (Tampm) indicated that 97 prisoners in unit 21 of Fontcalent prison in Alicante were quarantined because of a surge in COVID-19 infections. The association reported 12 positive cases, but prison officials said there were only five. The facility suspended all visits and activities scheduled for the following week-end. Tampm denounced the fact that prison workers were not tested. All of them have been vaccinated.
1 June Since the pandemic started, 1,823 prison employees and 2,115 prisoners have tested positive for COVID-19. Five employees and nine prisoners have died.
27 February. Since January 2021, 953 prisoners have been infected with COVID-19: 163 at Picassent prison in Valencia, and 132 at Teruel prison.
2 February. At a prison in the east of the country, 70% of inmates tested positive for the coronavirus.
1 February. The epidemic has been spreading at Teruel prison. Up to 133 cases of infection were reported among inmates.
28 January. One case of the British variant infection was recorded at Estremera prison.
Sevilla I prison recorded 17 positive cases among inmates. One inmate was given permission to go to hospital for treatment, and ended up spreading the virus. A chef at the facility also tested positive. As a precaution, a total of 90 inmates were placed under quarantine.
Teruel prison was identified as a coronavirus cluster. At least 104 of the 185 inmates at this facility tested positive. The source of the outbreak is unknown.
27 January. Zuera prison recorded 60 cases of infection in the women section.
At Picassent, the largest prison in the country, 133 inmates tested positive.
At Villena prison, in the province of Alicante, 45 inmates tested positive. None of them displayed any symptoms. A total of 140 inmates were quarantined in their cells as a precautionary measure.
1 January. Prison authorities recorded approximately 800 cases of infection among prisoners. This rate is more than two times lower than that of the country’s general population.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
12 September. Health-care workers at Nanterre prison vaccinated 150 prisoners in one day. A pop-up site for mass vaccinations was set up in the facility.
1 September. At Luynes prison (Aix-en-Provence), one in three prisoners have gotten their vaccine. The recent surge in cases within the facility prompted reactions. A union staff representative denounced the movement of goods between the interior and the exterior and questioned the fact that no health pass was required to access the workshops. An incarcerated person reported a lack of antibacterial gel and masks and declared: “The contamination comes from outside as every newly arrived prisoner must undergo a test. We have seen staff members and external actors walking around with their masks under their chins.”
5 August. Angers prison set up a temporary vaccination centre. Nearly 80 prisoners received the first dose. The facility aimed to vaccinate at least 50% of its prison population.
12 July. The vaccination campaign permitted the vaccination of around 10% of prisoners in June 2021.
2 June. Tarbes prison assigned a special unit for new arrivals who are placed under quarantine. This set-up is causing tension in this seriously overcrowded facility, where 14 prisoners are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor.
22 May. The prison population increases slightly each month. Some facilities are back to the overcrowding levels that existed before the crisis: 108 % in Metz, 120 % in Lons-le-Saunier, 126 % in Nancy, 133 % in Lyon-Corbas, 133 % in Strasbourg, 134 % in Besançon, 145 % in Chambéry, 190 % in Tarbes.
21 April In Vendée, the chairman of Roche-sur-Yon thinks that there are not enough prison guards being vaccinated. He explained: “The ‘prefect’ said that guards over 55 can be vaccinated except that most of them stop working at age 55. That means they are not vaccinated and that is a risk for them.”
16 April. Thirty-six prisoners at Baumettes (Marseille) prison were vaccinated. There were no plans to vaccinate staff members.
6 February. Forty three prisoners over the age of 75 were vaccinated, out of a prison population of 204. The Minister for Justice advised that: “Prisoners and fellow citizens are all in the same boat and are therefore vaccinated on equal terms”.
5 February. The State Council stated that there was no need to register prisoners as a priority for the first phase of the vaccination. They believe that the risk of developing a severe form of COVID-19 does not appear to be higher for prisoners than for the average population.
4 February. The prison population has been on the rise, with 4,000 more inmates than six months ago. More than 60 prisons or wards were over 120% occupied, with nearly 20 at 150%. The International Prison Watch’s French section was concerned about the “aggravated risks” that overpopulation posed to inmates’ health.
29 January. In the region of Loire, a vaccination campaign in prisons was underway. Three prisoners and 14 staff members tested positive.
Sentence adjustments¶
13 July. The effects of the release of prisoners in 2020 are diminishing: a thousand of new prisoners are being admitted every month. The Controller General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty stated: ”We had got down to 58,800 prisoners, but now we’re back up at 67,000. Slowly but surely, we will no doubt (…) return to where we were before the measures introduced by Nicole Belloubet.“
Contact with the outside world¶
20 August. The Ministry of Justice announced that the COVID-19 vaccination certificate was not required to visit loved ones in prison.
12 July. Visits to the Family Life Units (Unités de vie familiale, UVF) have resumed as of 9 June. However, a PCR test is required. This means that children, who cannot take a PCR test, are excluded. Some prisons allow salivary tests. The plexiglass screens in the visiting rooms are gradually being removed.
16 April. Baumettes (Marseille) prison reduced the number of family visits by half. Protective screens were installed.
29 March. In Isère, the number of parcels thrown out into the prisons has increased. The upsurge is likely due to protective screens in the visiting area that prevent sharing any items.
26 March. Visits are becoming rarer in prison. In the Loiret, the Prison Visitors’ Association is looking for some fifteen volunteers to help with the situation.
25 February. The administrative judge condemned the installation of floor-to-ceiling hermetic windows in the visiting rooms at Seysses prison.
16 February. Amélie Morineau, lawyer and president of the A3D association, alerted the occasional prevention of prisoners receiving a change of clothes and laundry from their relatives. Such measures can be taken in the event of a cluster reported in a facility and can last several weeks. She claimed that after nine days of imprisonment one of her clients “was still wearing the same clothes as he wore in police custody. He was only given a t-shirt, underpants and socks”. The National Council of Bars (CNB) considered that this measure places prisoners “in a particularly degrading situation”.
12 February. Twelve prisoners at Seysses jail referred to the administrative court of Toulouse for the removal of the plexiglass separation screens. They claimed that the visitation rooms have turned into sounding boards, preventing any privacy. Relatives, “forced to shout in order to hear each other”, are considering stopping their visits.
12 January. A relative of a prisoner criticized the visiting room: “you have an 8mm plexiglass window which goes up to the ceiling between you and your son. (…) Touching isn’t possible in order to avoid transmission of the virus. The worst part is that the holes in this window, compulsory since the second quarantine, are so small that sound can’t even get through.“ “They complain that: in the visiting room, everyone shouts”.
Protest movements¶
13 July. Prison officers at Valenciennes prison assembled outside the prison one morning at 6am to protest against prison overcrowding. A union delegate explained: ”At the beginning, with COVID-19 and the release of some prisoners, we had some relief, which proves that there are alternatives. Obviously, we don’t want to release everyone, we just want to work in normal conditions.“. The prison has a maximum capacity of 212 but currently houses 330 prisoners, meaning that some are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor.
1 July. The widow of a prison officer who died from COVID-19 has called for his death to be recognised as the result of an occupational illness. Prison unions, who support her position, believe that the prison service was too slow to react.
Appeals and recommendations¶
21 October. The Force Ouvrière (Labour Force) union expressed its concern over the infection of 18 prisoners in Béziers prison. It called for improved protection for prison staff: “our union demands an improvement in essential precautionary measures to protect the health of judicial extraction agents”. The union also requested “FFP2 masks and pocket sanitising gel.”
17 September. The European Council pointed out the impact of the pandemic on the decrease in the number of prisoners during 2020. However, it denounced the recent increase of the prison population and called on the authorities to establish a “strategy to reduce the occupancy rate.”
26 January. The Contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté recommended putting new measures in place to reduce prison overcrowding, such as “the ones successfully implemented in the spring”. An open letter was sent to the Ministry of Justice about this, explaining: “the directives that were sent to the jurisdictions were (.) obviously not followed”.
The Contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté requested a specific vaccination campaign for prisoners due, in particular, to “the inevitable exposure in detention, the vulnerability of the prison population and the simplicity of the process as all patients are in one place”.
25 January. The laundry service at Fresnes prison has been suspended. The Association of lawyers for prisoner rights (A3D) indicated that people sent to prison after being held in police custody have no change of clothes, and asked: “What is being done to guarantee their dignity?”
Identified cases¶
30 October. Béziers prison confirmed 50 COVID-19 positive inmates. Two staff members and two outside workers were among the cases identified.
21 October. A cluster was confirmed in Béziers prison. 18 prisoners tested positive for COVID-19. Entries and transfers were restricted to prevent the spread of the virus.
18 October. The epidemic outbreak reached Saint-Maur prison. Prison authorities reported 17 new cases. Infected prisoners were isolated.
11 October. 6 inmates in Saint Maur prison tested positive for COVID-19 and were put in isolation. Visitations and communal activities were suspended until further notice.
23 September. Angoulême prison reported 42 positive prisoners. The Regional Health Agency declared the situation a “cluster”, which would be worsening by the day. Group activities were suspended.
22 September Ducos prison (Martinique) reported an uptick in cases. According to the unions, there were 18 active cases and 86 contacts. They called for weekly COVID-19 reviews.
16 September Havre prison reported some twenty positive cases. Activities were suspended and testing underway.
15 September. Some fifty cases were reported in Corbas prison, in the Lyon region. The number of positive cases in Saint -Quentin-Fallavier prison had reached more than 50; none of them were considered critical. The Regional Health Agency (Agence Régionale de Santé, ARS) stated that Angoulême prison, , [was considered a COVID-19 cluster] where out of 229 prisoners, 12 tested positive. Outdoor walks and visitations were maintained as long as they followed health protocols, but sports and educational interventions were suspended.
9 September. Saint-Quentin-Fallavier prison recorded nine positive cases: eight prisoners and one officer. As a result, visitations are now conducted behind glass barriers. The only activities allowed are outdoor sports.
1 September Luynes prison (Aix-en-Provence) recorded 79 cases among the prisoners and four among the officers. Fifteen prisoners and seven officers were identified as close contacts.
30 August. Ploemeur prison recorded six cases among prisoners. Saran prison tested all its 800 prisoners. The screening followed the detection of a cluster in which several officers and prisoners came out positive. The plexiglass walls in the visiting rooms were restored. The administration encouraged the vaccination for prisoners as only a quarter have gotten their vaccine.
6 August. Baie-Mahault prison (Guadeloupe) recorded 40 positive cases (about twenty prisoners and twenty staff members). The Delta variant was identified in all cases.
21 July. Béziers prison reported nine new cases; the highest number of positive cases since the start of the pandemic. They were all quarantined, along with three contacts. The prison union blamed the removal of plexiglass barriers in the visiting room and affirmed there would be a rise of positive cases in the upcoming days.
4 June. Roanne prison reported having 34 positive prisoners. Two floors were placed in isolation. Eight officers have also been infected.
27 May. The Saran special hospital unit (Unité hospitalière spécialement aménagée (UHSA), near Orléans, reported that four officers had tested positive for COVID-19. The facility treats prisoners who have severe psychiatric disorders. Testing was done on the 25 officers working there.
11 May. The situation in Salon-de-Provence prison is getting worse. The infection has spread to 20 % of the officers. One guard and one prisoner were transferred to the hospital. The Justice Ministry reported that 216 prisoners were ill. This number has increased since last month.
1 May. At Salon-de-Provence prison, there were 38 guards and two prisoners who tested positive for COVID-19. This was the second cluster identified in the prison. Correctional officers called for mass testing and the provision of FFP2 masks.
30 April. Agen prison had four positive cases and was categorised as a “cluster” by the Regional Health Agency.
26 April. Montauban prison reported 20 positive cases among the incarcerated population. An official mentioned “an explosion in the number of cases” and a prison union called the situation in the Hautes-Pyrénées “critical”.
26 April. Condé-sur-Sarthe prison recorded 27 prison officers positive for COVID-19 up to now. One prisoner has also been infected. A second testing campaign was being planned. At Montauban prison, some twenty prisoners and six guards tested positive.
19 April. At Condé-sur-Sarthe prison, 19 positive cases were detected among prison guards. One prisoner with symptoms was quarantined until there is mass testing.
16 April. Baumettes prison reported 84 cases among staff and 48 among prisoners since the onset of the pandemic. Someone described the health procedures they followed: “We set two floors aside and tested every prisoner, and everyone played their part with no trouble. When someone tests positive, he is quarantined and I call the family who usually understands… The virus is spreading rapidly this year!”.
15 April. Four prisoners tested positive at the Saint-Martin-de-Ré prison, on the citadel site.
15 April. Orléans-Saran prison reported 40 positive cases: 22 incarcerated people and 18 staff members. Infected prisoners were quarantined and not permitted to have visitors.
12 April. Four prisoners tested positive between 3 and 9 April, in Nantes prison. Both the arrival and men’s wings were placed in “COVID isolation”.
16 March. An article reported an upsurge in the number of prison clusters. Muret prison reported 41 positive cases among its prisoners. Tours prison reported 65. The week before, Santé prison detected 26 positive cases and quarantined 85 prisoners. In Fleury-Mérogis prison, 18 cases were reported in early March. This situation was mostly the result of prison overcrowding and an increase in new arrivals, an average of one thousand a month.
24 February. Sixteen prisoners tested positive for COVID-19 at the Nice jail, and 22 prisoners have been in contact with those infected. A staff representative voiced concern that some of them had not been quarantined.
23 February. An administrative employee contracted the virus at Dunkirk prison, the second case detected on site within the space of two weeks. An outbreak of infections occurred in the Lille Sequedin jail. Five prison officers, six service providers and one inmate were infected.
February 17. The administration of Bois-d’Arcy jail confirmed three positive cases among prisoners and 15 staff members. The French section of the International Prison Observatory deplored the facility’s lack of transparency after receiving the alarming message “COVID-19 had spread, two floors have been blocked, they have been locked up for 22 / 24 hours in their cells without any visitation.
13 February. Eight prisoners at Grasse jail and three prisoners in Nice tested positive.
12 February. One prisoner and seven guards tested positive for COVID-19 at Longuenesse prison.
8 February. In Réunion, an agent tested positive at Domenjod prison. This was the sixth detected case. A vaccination campaign was announced, without a specific date.
26 January. The “Contrôleure générale des lieux de privation de liberté” requested a specific vaccination campaign for prisoners due, in particular, to “the inevitable exposure in detention, the vulnerability of the prison population and the simplicity of the process as all patients are in one place”.
26 January. The number of positive cases has increased rapidly at Fresnes prison. The French section of the International Observatory of Prisons reported, 49 positive cases on 20 January, including one female. The prison is 125% occupied.
20 January. The Contrôleure générale des lieux de liberté reported 235 staff members and 134 inmates were positive for COVID-19. It is estimated that there has been an increase of 165% since the beginning of the month.
13 January. At the Saint-Martin de Ré prison, two new positive cases were reported among officers. The total now stands at 12 positive cases among staff members.
12 January. Dunkirk prison reported that there were no cases after testing its staff. The presence of the English variant, which was suspected at the end of the previous month, was ruled out. Several staff members tested positive at Réau prison.
7 January. At Saint-Martin de Ré prison, an outbreak was identified among prison staff. Eight cases were reported. All the tests carried out on prisoners were negative.
5 January. All the staff at Dunkirk prison were tested.
4 January. Five staff members tested positive at Saint-Martin de Ré prison. They quarantined at home. The authorities announced the testing of all officers and prisoners.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
3 August. The NPM revealed that prisoners at Mountjoy prison placed in quarantine and solitary confinement had been denied showers for up to 14 days in a row.
17 June. Prisoners in the country’s 14 prisons were treated as a “difficult-to-reach group” in a vaccination campaign. This means that a facility’s entire population would be vaccinated in one go rather than by age group, as is the case for the rest of the population.
5 April. Quarantined prisoners in Mountjoy prison do not have access to showers. The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) calls these conditions unacceptable.
19 March. The NGO Irish penal reform trust (IPRT) voiced concerns about the increased risk of mental health problems for prisoners due to the pandemic and a lack of support. Prisons’ psychological and drug addiction services have been pared down, to limit the spread of COVID-19. In February 2021, there were only five psychiatrists for 4,300 prisoners across 12 prisons. Palliative measures, such as teleconsultations, have been implemented.
9 March. The Association of Police Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) asked the Minister of Justice to confirm that prison officers are on the priority list for vaccination.
Judicial system¶
28 September The number of courtrooms with online remote access should increase by the end of the year to more than a hundred. Forty “technology courts” were operating in March 2020. Each county should have one and the project is expected to cost 2.2 million euros.
20 April. The Dublin tribunal reported postponed sentencing due to the prison officers’ strike. The minimum service provided is causing many delays in escorting incarcerated people to appear before the court.
22 March. Prison inspections were suspended this year due to COVID-19. In their place, there will be “limited examinations” related to specific areas.
Contact with the outside world¶
1 November. The prison service reported that some restrictions on visits were lifted. Physical contact between prisoners and their families was still not permitted. A COVID-19 vaccination certificate would shortly no longer be required.
8 July. The prison service has announced that from 14 July, prisoners will be able to receive visits seven days after being vaccinated. The resumption of visits will be subject to a risk assessment, and all visitors must take part in COVID-19 testing procedures.
3 May. The NGO Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas helped Irish prisoners abroad maintain contact with their families. There are more than 1,000 Irish prisoners in over 30 countries worldwide. Families have been unable to visit them due to border closures and travel restrictions. The NGO provided funding to pay for phone calls and basic necessities for incarcerated people, but could not carry out the usual prison monitoring visits.
12 April. Prison schools were to reopen on 19 April. Instructors were immediately given access to education centres to undertake preparatory work.
12 January. The chaplain of Castlerea Prison was refused access to the establishment as he refused to shave his beard. The prison health protocol insists all staff are “close” shaved in order “to ensure the obligatory protective masks are effective”. As a result, the prisoners at the facility did not have access to the chaplain’s Christmas service.
Acts of protest¶
20 June. Control and restraint teams intervened in Midlands prison to suppress a protest against health restrictions. The prisoners’ main demand was the restoration of visits.
17 April. Prison officers are on strike. They are protesting the fact that prisoners are being vaccinated before them. They have no idea when they will be vaccinated. The Irish Penal Trust (IPRT) NGO is concerned about the impact the strike will have on the living conditions of incarcerated people.
Appeals and recommendations¶
19 August. The health needs assessment in prisons, launched in 2018, which should have been finalised in June 2021, was delayed by COVID-19 pandemic. The psychology service stated that the effects of the pandemic on prisoners’ mental health had become “the biggest challenge“ and that it was necessary to take these into account.
3 August. The NPM indicated that prisoners were not getting “sufficient meaningful human contact” because of the increased use of solitary confinement. Following his visits to Mountjoy, Cloverhill, Wheatfield, and Limerick visits, he noted that staff and prisoners have a positive attitude towards the measures taken to combat COVID-19. The NPM was concerned that these new restrictions would become the norm.
16 June. Mr Ó Cuív fiercely criticised the prison service’s failure to reinstate family visits and religious services in state prisons, at a time when the rest of the society was reopening. He condemned the situation in Dáil (lower house of the Irish Parliament).
11 June. The Inspector of Prisons submitted a report, stating that more than 1,200 of the Republic’s 4,200 prisoners could have been released to contain the epidemic.
14 May. Prison authorities advised police officers not to go into Mountjoy prison to question prisoners. The number of positive cases is on the rise.
12 April. The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) published a report summarizing all the health measures taken by the prison administration to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in prison. The NGO included a list of recommendations.
Identified cases¶
9 March. A prisoner at Casterea Prison tested positive for COVID-19. This was the first known case at this prison.
1 March. The Minister of Justice announced 97 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among prisoners. A total of 312 confirmed cases have been reported by prison staff since March 2020.
8 January. Forty prisoners tested positive for COVID-19 in several prisons. The figures were updated after discovering new cases in: Mountjoy (1), Loughan House (8), Cork (1) and Portlaoise (3).
4 January. Five prisoners held at Wheatfield tested positive. Testing had been organised after several cases were identified among staff members at the end of December.
Northern Ireland¶
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
16 February. Inmates and prison staff members who were not considered “vulnerable” have still not received the COVID-19 vaccine. A union for prison officers called on the government to “act urgently” regarding this situation.
Judicial system¶
1 September. The proportion of untried prisoners in Hydebank Wood facility is 62%, a percentage which is partly due to delays in court proceedings during the pandemic.
Contact with the outside world¶
22 April. The Northern Ireland Justice Ministry announced that visits were to resume on 4 May. The visits will be subject to health restriction measures: hand sanitizing, physical distancing and visitor temperature checks upon entry. The Ministry said that virtual calls remain the preferred option.
9 April. Incarcerated people were allowed to see their families for only 93 days last year. Jodie Beck, co-founder of the online support group Our Empty Chair, pointed out that, currently, “Families are left in the same position as before, not knowing when they are going to see their loved one, not knowing when things will get back to normal and having no idea how long it’s going to take for the normal routines of communication to be opened up again”.
Acts of protest¶
3 June. Around 600 staff at Novus, the prison education branch of the University and College Union (UCU), called for staff to strike and demonstrate on 12 and 23 June. Staff in prisons and juvenile facilities in the North East joined the protest movement led by their colleagues in 49 institutions across England. They accused Novus of “refusing to meaningfully engage” on health and safety issues for prison teachers.
Identified cases¶
20 August. A prison officer died from COVID-19; this was the first death of a prison officer recorded since the pandemic started.
17 February. Six staff members, including the director, tested positive in the Young Offenders’ Centre of Hydebank Wood.
15 January. Two youths recently admitted to the Juvenile Justice Centre in Woodlands tested positive for the virus. They were placed in quarantine.
9 January. A female inmate in Hydebank Prison is confirmed positive for COVID-19. This is the first positive case among the female prison population.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
15 June. Prisoners have received 45,574 doses since the beginning of the vaccination campaign. The total number of officers vaccinated has increased from 23,266 to 23,370 in one week.
2 June. A vaccine drive was carried out in Italian prisons. According to the most recent figures, 39,203 vaccine doses were administered to prisoners, compared to 33,127 the previous week. The number of prison officers vaccinated rose 22,918 (454 more than the preceding week).
28 April. Vaccinations have started for people incarcerated at Costantino Satta prison in Ferrare. As expected, 90 doses were administered on the first day. The vaccination campaign was held on 29 and 30 April and was resumed on 3 and 4 May for persons at risk.
11 March. The coronavirus pandemic has led to a 12.3% decrease in the prison population. According to the NGO Antigone, the decrease is not really due to house arrest reforms. ”The situation is very simply more manageable because of judges’ goodwill, rather than governmental or parliamentary restrictions” said Antigone. The prison population exceeded 15% of the real capacity of the country’s prisons. Some facilities have two times more prisoners than beds. The prison administration’s budget increased between 2019 and 2020, from 18.2% to 35% of the Justice Ministry’s internal budget. Yet the prison administration is suffering due to the uneven distribution of staff among the country’s prisons.
17 February. A vaccination campaign for prisoners was launched in the region of Basilicata.
10 February. The first doses of the vaccine were administered to prison staff at L’Aquila prison.
4 February. A screening campaign for all staff members was launched at Potenza prison.
Sentence adjustments¶
19 May. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of revising the sentence of prisoners with serious diseases and at risk of complications if they contract the virus. This decision would apply even if there are no reports of infection in the facility.
Protest movements¶
30 June. Videos have been made public showing guards beating prisoners during a demonstration linked to the coronavirus, which took place on 6 April 2020. These videos have gone viral. The authorities have suspended 52 guards after the release of the videos.
28 June. Police arrested 52 prison officers in Santa Maria Capua prison on suspicion of mistreating prisoners while quelling a riot. The riot started on 6 April 2020 and was triggered by a case of COVID-19.
Appeals and recommendations¶
24 February. Alessandro Luciani, of the Prison Employees Union (SINAPPE), denounced the “lack of organisation” regarding the management of the virus. The measures taken to ensure that prison employees are protected remained insufficient, and the number of infected inmates is increasing. The supply of sanitizers is still very limited.
9 February. Following the death of a prison supervisor in Carinola, prison inspector Samuele Ciambriello alerted to the need to launch a vaccination campaign in prisons: “Is it necessary to wait for more deaths and infections to tackle the problem in terms of prevention, treatment and vaccines?“.
2 February. The motion presented by Gianni Pastorino was rejected. It called for a widespread screening at Ligurian prisons, systematic testing for newcomers, and distribution of hygiene products to inmates and staff. The president of Liguria, Giovanni Toti, pointed out that measures under the region’s authority have already been implemented and further responsibilities fell on the prison administration.
29 January. Daniela Caputo called for the vaccination of inmates as a priority, instead of resorting to early release measures.
6 January. The Naples Bar Association requested that the Italian authorities give priority to prisoners in vaccination campaigns. Currently, only prison officers are classed as priority.
Identified cases¶
22 September Bari prison reported twenty cases. Prisoners continue to be tested. The prison guard union denounced the overcrowding.
15 June. The number of positive cases among prisoners decreased again. According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Justice, there were 118 positive cases (including five new arrivals) of a total of 52,556 prisoners.
2 June. The number of infections in prison facilities has risen again. According to the latest figures from the Justice Ministry, the number of positive cases has increased since the previous week. There were 217 positive cases (seven among new arrivals) compared to 185 the week before. However, the number of officers testing positive decreased: 187 tested positive, compared to 210 in the previous week.
18 May. The number of positive cases continued to decrease in Italian prisons. Recent official figures showed 232 positive cases among 52,662 prisoners compared to 294 in the previous week. The number also decreased among prison officers: from324 positive cases to 282 in one week. About 25,232 prisoners have been vaccinated.
28 April. The national report from the head of the prison administration indicated that there were 120 positive cases in the Pouilles prisons. These included 80 prisoners, 32 prison officers, and eight administration personnel. At Foggia prison, the number of positive cases among prisoners increased from 30 to 45 in four days; five were hospitalised. The prisons most affected, after this one, were Bari with 24 cases, Lecce with 18 cases and San Severo where 11 cases were reported; two people were transferred to hospital.
7 April. Authorities reported 115 infected people in Pouilles prisons. In four days, the number of cases went from 99 to 115. Among these were 45 prisoners, 66 prison officers and four administrative staff. Lecce and San Severo prisons were the most affected.
1 March. The prison authority announced a total of 557 COVID-19 cases among prison officers. At Rebibbia prison in Rome, 18 prison staff members and 31 prisoners have been infected, including four hospitalized prisoners. At Naples Secondigliano prison, 14 prison staff members and eight prisoners were infected, with one prisoner hospitalized
24 February. The number of infections at Rieti prison, has been growing. Fourteen inmates and three staff members tested positive.
22 February. Eight prison officers, four inmates and a doctor at Orvieto prison tested positive. None of them showed any symptoms. A section of the facility was set aside to quarantine persons who test positive.
21 February. A prison officer at Poggioreale prison died from COVID-19.
8 February. At Madonna del Freddo prison, ten inmates tested positive.
A prison officer from Carinola prison died from COVID-19.
3 February. At Pagliarelli prison, 61 inmates tested positive for the virus. Of these, only four people showed symptoms. Nevertheless, the rate of infection appeared to decrease in most of the country’s prisons.
1 February. At Rebbibia prison (Rome), 104 inmates tested positive for the virus. Five of them were hospitalised.
28 January. Since 1 October 2020, 1,220 prisoners in Lombardy have tested positive for the virus.
Sentence adjustments¶
19 April. Almost 100 prisoners were released with ankle monitors. The prison administration announced the release of another 200 prisoners.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
Lately. Vaccinations became available for prisoners. Priority was given to prisoners with mental health problems, followed by prisoners with increased health risks and those over 70. Vaccinations would then be available to prisoners aged 18 to 70. This information was not dated.
15 January. Lawyers were concerned for inmates placed in quarantine, as they were not allowed to take showers or wear masks. Health Minister Sander Dekker indicated that this ban was taken for safety reasons. According to the minister, prison staff must be able to see the faces of inmates to “gauge their mood”.
7 January. At Limburg prison, 84 prisoners placed in quarantine were subjected to multiple restrictions. They could not shower, exercise, or have visitors for ten days.
7 January. Nineteen prisoners at Heerhugwaard Prison started legal action against the prison director over the ban on wearing masks in detention. Prisoners must share workspaces but without masks. Those who oppose may be subject to disciplinary sanctions.
Sentence adjustments¶
17 July The Justice Ministry hoped to sell half 1,500 of its unused electronic bracelets that were ordered in preparation for the early release of prisoners during the pandemic.
Appeals and recommendations¶
7 January. Jeroen Soeteman, President of the Association of Criminal Lawyers, declared that the ban on surgical masks is an issue in a number of prisons across the country. Madeleine van Toorenburg, MP and former prison governor, said this policy is both wrong and dangerous.
Identified cases¶
2 April. Esserheem prison in Veenhuizen closed for 10 days following the positive testing of four staff members and three prisoners. Two-hundred prisoners were locked up for 24 hours at a time without ventilation or access to showers.
15 January. Close to 1,000 inmates were quarantined for prevention purposes. Nieuwegein and Ter Appel prisons were under total quarantine. Only sections of Grave, Zaanstad, Roermond and Heerhugowaard facilities were used as quarantine areas.
7 January. Three prisoners tested positive for COVID-19 at Limburg prison. A total of 84 people were placed in quarantine.
Confirmed cases amongst prisoners: 400+
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
16 July 74% of prisoners had received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Sentence adjustments¶
24 February Prison officials were given the authority to amend sentences if they contributed to the elimination of COVID-19. As of 15 January 2021, the measures had not yet been used. The pandemic did not cause any major legislative changes regarding sentence adjustments.
Judicial system¶
20 March A court agreed to release an Italian man who was on remand because he had contracted COVID-19. He presented with severe symptoms, associated with his stroke and bipolar condition. According to the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFHR), the prisoner’s deteriorating health condition may constitute a violation of Article 3 ECHR.
Identified cases¶
25 February. The country’s prisons identified 185 cases of COVID-19.Garbalin detected 82 cases among prisoners, the largest outbreak recorded in Polish prisons since the pandemic started.
8 February. The country’s prisons recorded 24 positive cases.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
25 June. Prisoners with psychiatric problems were vaccinated before others.
10 February. Prison services began a campaign to vaccinate prisoners after detecting 70 cases of infection at Lisbon prison.
27 January. The wearing of masks was made mandatory in every section of Porto prison.
Judicial system¶
11 April. Law 9/2020 on releasing prisoners is contributing ”decisively“ to the decrease in the number of prisoners. The prison population decreased by 10% compared to 2019.
Sentence adjustments¶
19 June. The national prison population has been reduced by at least 4% in Italy, France and Scotland, according to a study by the Council of Europe and the University of Lausanne.
4 May. Over 2,700 sentences were adjusted between 11 April 2020 and 31 March 2021 because of COVID-19. Approximately 1,800 prisoners were remitted and 896 people were released for 45 days. Fourteen pardons were granted to people ages 65 and over who were ill or at risk. The prison administration considered this a “very positive” outcome.
Contact with the outside world¶
25 June. Instead of one five-minute call per day, prisoners could make three calls.
27 January. Visits were suspended at Porto prison, following the detection of 12 positive cases.
25 January. Inmates at Carregueira prison were placed under quarantine. All visits and activities were suspended.
18 January. Visits and activities were suspended at Guarda prison and the facility was under quarantine.
Identified cases¶
2 July. Sintra prison registered 39 infected prisoners.
30 June. 28 Sintra prisoners tested positive for COVID-19. 280 prisoners were tested after 3 cases were detected the previous week.
11 February. At Lisbon prison, 72 prisoners tested positive. They were separated from the rest of the prison population and were under permanent surveillance by health personnel. Visits and activities were suspended at the facility.
A total of 82 prison officers tested positive for COVID-19 in the country.
10 February. At Braga prison, four prisoners tested positive for COVID-19. All prisoners were placed in quarantine.
27 January. Porto prison recorded twelve infections among inmates. The inmates concerned were placed in quarantine and received medical care.
Seven inmates tested positive at Santa Cruz do Bispo prison. According to the prison administration, they were placed in quarantine and received ongoing medical care.
25 January. Three inmates and seven staff members at Carregueira prison tested positive for the virus. Infected inmates were transferred to the São João de Deus prison hospital in Caxias.
18 January. All inmates and staff at Guarda prison were tested for the coronavirus. Three inmates and four guards tested positive. The prison was placed under quarantine.
Five prison staff members tested positive at Caixas prison. Their contacts were quarantined, and were to be tested soon after.
Confirmed case amongst prisoners: 337
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
6 May Craiova prison did not have a psychiatrist or a dentist. An infectious disease specialist was requested. A vaccination campaign was started: 30 prisoners received the vaccine and 250 were on a waiting list. Prison officials ensured that prisoners, as well as staff, were tested once a month or every two weeks when cases were detected.
5 May Prisoners at Timisoara prison would be quarantined for 7 to 10 days in cases of transfers and after being vaccinated. Prisoners, as well as staff, would be tested every two weeks by prison officials. At the time of the visit by the Romania human rights association (APADOR-CH) on 21 April 2021, 600 prisoners had received their first vaccine dose and 500 of them had received their second. Vaccinations were voluntary. Temporary releases and work schedules should resume once a sufficient number of prisoners would have been vaccinated.
Acts of protest¶
6 May Prisoners expressed their discontent to the human rights association (APADOR-CH) over the lack of activities and restrictions caused by COVID-19 : since October 2020, prisoners could not go to work on the outside, or in workshops. Prisoners at Craiova could usually work in the shoe making workshops within the facility. Daily walks were also reduced from five to two hours.
Identified cases¶
6 May In total, 90 prisoners contracted COVID-19 in the Craiova prison.
5 May Since September 2020, 156 prisoners had contracted COVID-19 at the Timisoara prison.
Contact with the outside world¶
6 May Conjugal visits were authorised again in Craiova prison. Visitors must be tested and prisoners must go into quarantine after the visit. Prison officials had been permitting online visits since the pandemic started. The Romania human rights association (APADOR-CH) observed that the Timisoaraprison had the same visitation protocols.
5 May Conjugal visits at Timisoara prison required that prisoners go into quarantine for a few days before the visit, even if they had a negative PCR test.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
29 July. An outbreak of the Delta variant occurred in Revda prison. The families of prisoners confirmed that the prison administration does not provide testing and does not impose quarantine for people with symptoms. Prisoners who are infected do not appear to receive any treatment.
Contacts with the outside world¶
25 March. The Russian Justice Ministry drafted an order granting female prisoners the right to have telephone conversations with their children.
Identified cases¶
7 April. Former Governor Sergey Furgal, detained at Moscow prison, tested positive for COVID-19.
Sanitary conditions and access to healthcare¶
26 August. Half of the prisoners at Pöschwies facility in Zurich have been vaccinated. All those who come in contact with an infected person have to be quarantined. However, quarantine is no longer required for new arrivals and for prisoners returning from a permitted leave.
2 February. Newcomers were quarantined for seven days. They were tested twice before joining other prisoners.
Judicial system¶
27 April. COVID-19 may have contributed to the decrease in the prison population in Switzerland. The causal link will not be known for a few years.
Contacts with the outside world¶
26 August. Prison visits resumed. Visitors and prisoners fully vaccinated must only wear a mask. For those not vaccinated, visits take place behind a glass barrier.
Identified cases¶
26 August. Since May, fifteen positive cases have been reported among 5,000 employees and 7,000 prisoners. Several cases were identified in July among kitchen personnel at Pöschwies prison inZurich.