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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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DECARCERATING CORRECTIONAL
FACILITIES DURING COVID-19

Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety

Committee on the Best Practices for Implementing Decarceration as a Strategy to Mitigate the Spread of COVID-19 in Correctional Facilities

Emily A. Wang, Bruce Western, Emily P. Backes, and Julie Schuck, Editors

Committee on Law and Justice

Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

A Consensus Study Report of

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

This activity was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences and Arnold Ventures, Award No. 20-04976 and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Award No. 77915. Additional support was provided by the National Academy of Sciences’ W.K. Kellogg Foundation Fund. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-68357-9
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-68357-2
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25945
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020951736

Additional copies of this publication are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

Copyright 2020 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25945.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×

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The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, nongovernmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.

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Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×

Image

Consensus Study Reports published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine document the evidence-based consensus on the study’s statement of task by an authoring committee of experts. Reports typically include findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on information gathered by the committee and the committee’s deliberations. Each report has been subjected to a rigorous and independent peer-review process and it represents the position of the National Academies on the statement of task.

Proceedings published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine chronicle the presentations and discussions at a workshop, symposium, or other event convened by the National Academies. The statements and opinions contained in proceedings are those of the participants and are not endorsed by other participants, the planning committee, or the National Academies.

For information about other products and activities of the National Academies, please visit www.nationalacademies.org/about/whatwedo.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×

COMMITTEE ON BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPLEMENTING DECARCERATION AS A STRATEGY TO MITIGATE THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES

EMILY A. WANG (Co-chair), Yale School of Medicine

BRUCE WESTERN (Co-chair), Columbia University

DONALD M. BERWICK, Institute for Healthcare Improvement

SHARON DOLOVICH, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law

DEANNA R. HOSKINS, JustLeadershipUSA

MARGOT KUSHEL, University of California, San Francisco

HEDWIG LEE, Washington University, St. Louis

STEVEN RAPHAEL, University of California, Berkeley

JOSIAH RICH, Brown University

JOHN WETZEL, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

Staff:

EMILY P. BACKES, Study Director

JULIE SCHUCK, Program Officer

DARA SHEFSKA, Associate Program Officer

STACEY SMIT, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×

COMMITTEE ON LAW AND JUSTICE

ROBERT D. CRUTCHFIELD (Chair), University of Washington (retired)

SALLY S. SIMPSON (Vice Chair), University of Maryland

SHAWN D. BUSHWAY, RAND Corporation

PREETI CHAUHAN, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

KIMBERLÉ W. CRENSHAW, University of California, Los Angeles

MARK S. JOHNSON, Howard University

CYNTHIA LUM, George Mason University

JAMES P. LYNCH, University of Maryland

JOHN MACDONALD, University of Pennsylvania

KAREN J. MATHIS, American Bar Association (retired), University of Denver

THEODORE A. MCKEE, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia

STEVEN RAPHAEL, University of California, Berkeley

LAURIE O. ROBINSON, George Mason University

CYNTHIA RUDIN, Duke University

SUSAN B. SORENSON, University of Pennsylvania

LINDA A. TEPLIN, Northwestern University Medical School

HEATHER ANN THOMPSON, University of Michigan

BRUCE WESTERN, Columbia University

Staff:

NATACHA BLAIN, Director

EMILY P. BACKES, Senior Program Officer

STACEY SMIT, Senior Program Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×

SOCIETAL EXPERTS ACTION NETWORK (SEAN) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MARY T. BASSETT (Co-chair), Harvard University

ROBERT M. GROVES (Co-chair), Georgetown University

DOMINIQUE BROSSARD, University of Wisconsin, Madison

JANET CURRIE, Princeton University

MICHAEL HOUT, New York University

ARATI PRABHAKAR, Actuate

ADRIAN E. RAFTERY, University of Washington

JENNIFER RICHESON, Yale University

Staff:

MONICA N. FEIT, Deputy Executive Director DBASSE

ADRIENNE STITH BUTLER, Associate Board Director

EMILY P. BACKES, Senior Program Officer

NATALIE NIELSEN, Senior Program Officer

DARA SHEFSKA, Associate Program Officer

PAMELLA ATAYI, Program Coordinator

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×

Acknowledgments

This report would not have been possible without the contributions of many people. First, we thank the sponsors of this study: Arnold Ventures and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Special thanks go to the members of the study committee, who dedicated extensive time, thought, and energy to the project on such a compressed timeline.

In addition to its own research and deliberations, the committee received input from several outside sources, whose willingness to share their perspectives and experience was essential to the committee’s work. We thank Annette Chambers-Smith (Ohio Department of Corrections), Jennifer Clarke (Rhode Island Department of Corrections), Sara Smith Kariko (Washington State Department of Corrections), Lisa Puglisi (Yale School of Medicine), Homer Venters (former Chief Medical Officer of the New York City Correctional Health Services), Vikki Wachino (Community Oriented Correctional Health Services), Brie Williams (University of California, San Francisco), and Tyler Winkelman (Hennepin County and University of Minnesota). The committee also gathered information through a commissioned paper. We thank Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein (University of North Carolina) and Kathryn Nowotny (University of Miami) and the COVID Prison Project for their contributions to the report.

The committee was also able to elicit input from correctional officials and formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. We extend our gratitude to Ingrid Archie (A New Way of Life), David Ayala (Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People & Families Movement), Susan Burton (A New Way of Life), Jerry Fitz (Virginia Department of Corrections), Stevyn

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×

Fogg (Correctional Leaders Association), Mike Haddon (Utah Department of Corrections), Todd Ishee (North Carolina Department of Public Safety), Kevin Kempf (Correctional Leaders Association), Valerie Langley (North Carolina Department of Public Safety), Mike Leidholt (South Dakota Department of Corrections), Dave Luxton (Washington Department of Corrections), Brandon Marshall (Washington Department of Corrections), Arminda Miller (Washington Department of Corrections), Reverend Vivian Nixon (College and Community Fellowship), Bryan Stirling (South Carolina Department of Corrections), and Dean Williams (Colorado Department of Corrections).

This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Shawn D. Bushway, Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department, RAND Corporation; Charles D. Lee, President-elect, American College of Correctional Physicians; Ojmarrh Mitchell, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University; Samuel L. Myers, Jr., Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota; Anne Spaulding, Department of Epidemiology and Preparedness in Jails Project, Emory University; Sonja B. Starr, Professor of Law, University of Chicago; and Brie Williams, School of Medicine and Criminal Justice and Health Program, University of California, San Francisco.

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by John V. Pepper, Department of Economics, University of Virginia and Philip J. Cook, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.

The committee also wishes to extend its gratitude to the staff of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, in particular to Emily Backes, for her expert direction of this study from beginning to end, and Julie Schuck, who made critical substantive contributions in the

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×

conception, writing, and editing of the report. Thanks are also due to Dara Shefska for her skilled writing assistance and contributions to the communications and dissemination of the report. Stacey Smit provided key administrative and logistical support and made sure the committee process ran efficiently and smoothly. Throughout the project, Natacha Blain, director of the Committee on Law and Justice, provided oversight. Thanks are also due to our Societal Experts Action Network colleagues, in particular Monica Feit, who provided helpful guidance and insight throughout the study process. From the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, we thank Kirsten Sampson Snyder and Douglas Sprunger, who shepherded the report through the review process and assisted with its communication and dissemination. We also thank Rona Briere, Genie Grohman, and Allie Boman for their skillful editing.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×
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Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25945.
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The conditions and characteristics of correctional facilities - overcrowded with rapid population turnover, often in old and poorly ventilated structures, a spatially concentrated pattern of releases and admissions in low-income communities of color, and a health care system that is siloed from community public health - accelerates transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for COVID-19. Such conditions increase the risk of coming into contact with the virus for incarcerated people, correctional staff, and their families and communities. Relative to the general public, moreover, incarcerated individuals have a higher prevalence of chronic health conditions such as asthma, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, making them susceptible to complications should they become infected. Indeed, cumulative COVID-19 case rates among incarcerated people and correctional staff have grown steadily higher than case rates in the general population.

Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19 offers guidance on efforts to decarcerate, or reduce the incarcerated population, as a response to COIVD-19 pandemic. This report examines best practices for implementing decarceration as a response to the pandemic and the conditions that support safe and successful reentry of those decarcerated.

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