Federal prisons begin a 14-day lockdown on Wednesday amid fears the coronavirus could spread throughout the nation’s government-run penal institutions.
The Bureau of Prisons released a statement Tuesday evening announcing the quarantine and saying that it may be extended if needed. The Bureau said it would take the following actions to contain the spread of the coronavirus at federal prisons:
- For a 14-day period, inmates in every institution will be secured in their assigned cells/quarters to decrease the spread of the virus. This modification to our action plan is based on health concerns, not disruptive inmate behavior.
- During this time, to the extent practicable, inmates should still have access to programs and services that are offered under normal operating procedures, such as mental health treatment and education.
- In addition, the Bureau is coordinating with the United States Marshals Service (USMS) to significantly decrease incoming movement during this time.
- After 14 days, this decision will be reevaluated and a decision made as to whether or not to return to modified operations.
- Limited group gathering will be afforded to the extent practical to facilitate commissary, laundry, showers, telephone, and Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System (TRULINCS) access.
The statement said this was “Phase 5” of its coronavirus Action Plan and that phases 1 through 4 occurred between January and March. Phase 4 was implemented on March 26 and consisted of revised preventative measures.
“The agency updated its quarantine and isolation procedures to require all newly admitted inmates to BOP, whether in a sustained community transition area or not, be assessed using a screening tool and temperature check. This includes all new intakes, detainees, commitments, writ returns from judicial proceedings, and parole violators, regardless of their method of arrival,” the Bureau said of Phase 4. “Asymptomatic inmates are placed in quarantine for a minimum of 14 days or until cleared by medical staff. Symptomatic inmates are placed in isolation until they test negative for COVID-19 or are cleared by medical staff as meeting CDC criteria for release from isolation.”
Politico reported that 29 inmates and 30 staff members within the federal prison system had tested positive for COVID-19 and that unions suggest the numbers are likely higher. So far, one federal prisoner has died from the coronavirus, the outlet reported.
Late last month, Attorney General William Barr requested the Bureau of Prisons look into sending some prisoners to home confinement if they were not dangerous, Politico reported.
“I asked if it was possible to expand home confinement, particularly for those older prisoners who have served substantial parts of their sentences and no longer pose a threat and may have underlying conditions that make them particularly vulnerable,” Barr said at the time.
The directive he issued included a non-exhaustive list of discretionary factors:
- The age and vulnerability of the inmate to COVID-19, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines;
- The security level of the facility currently holding the inmate, with priority given to inmates residing in low and minimum security facilities;
- The inmate’s conduct in prison, with inmates who have engaged in violent or gang-related activity in prison or who have incurred a BOP violation within the last year not receiving priority treatment under this Memorandum;
- The inmate’s score under PATTERN, with inmates who have anything above a minimum score not receiving priority treatment under this Memorandum;
- Whether the intimate has a demonstrated and verifiable re-entry plan that will prevent recidivism and maximize public safety, including verification that the conditions under which the inmate would be confined upon release would present a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 than the inmate would face in his or her BOP facility;
- The inmate’s crime of conviction, and assessment of the danger posed by the inmate to the community. Some offenses, such as sex offenses, will render an inmate ineligible for home detention. Other serious offenses should weigh more heavily against consideration for home detention.
Barr noted that many inmates may be safer in prison than outside due to the spread of the coronavirus in society.