The Coronavirus pandemic has negatively affected various population groups that social workers may come to work with, as we have seen through previous postings. COVID-19 is medical condition added to the list of many that are partially rooted in social determinants of health. Minority and low-income communities have been disproportionately affected by the uncertainty of symptom manifestation, long-term health outcomes and social and economic implications of this virus. Justice-involved youth are more likely to be of color, have unmet mental and medical health needs, and are at a higher risk of infection given the proximity of congregate care. Juvenile detention centers have been affected by COVID-19 in thirty-eight states, Guam and Puerto Rico (Rovner, 2020). While steps to limit the spread of the virus have been taken in some detention centers around the country, some groups are encouraging the release of some incarcerated youth to continue reducing exposure. According to the Sentencing Project, “roughly 70 percentage of youth are held on non-violent offenses. Detention centers, designed to house youth who have been suspected of, but not found responsible for their offenses have high turnover, often with short stays serving little, if any, public safety interest” (2020). With precautions being taken to reduce the spread of the virus in these types of facilities, detention facility administrators should consider releasing youth who may be better served in their communities.
About 43,000 youth under eighteen are held in juvenile detention centers across the country (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2020). As of October 30th, the Sentencing Project reported that there were just under 2,200 COVID-19 cases in juvenile facilities. The photo attached displays the estimated number of cases in highlighted states. Facilities in Colorado, Clayton County (Georgia) and Fresno County (California) have begun releasing detainees due to the virus, which serves as a better alternative when possible considering the restrictions that are being taken to limit the spread. Juvenile justice advocates continue to encourage the further release of non-violent offenders because facilities may not be equipped to properly respond to the pandemic. For example, a 17-year-old at the Lower Eastern Shore Children’s Center in rural Maryland spends almost 24 hours a day in an 11-foot-by-11-foot room (Green, 2020). Classes are suspended, this individual’s counselor on leave and only leaves the designated area to use the bathroom. The New York Times article reveals the unfortunate reality of what it’s like to live in a juvenile facility during this pandemic. Imagine how difficult it has been for us to stay away from our friends and family while juggling all the other stressors this pandemic has brought. Could you even fathom sitting the same windowless room for 24 hours a day, only getting 10 minutes to talk to loved ones via phone and often lack personal hygiene necessities? This has been the experience of justice-involved youth since March. Texas, Pennsylvania and Maryland all have sought mass release of offenders with underlying health conditions or who have been determined not to pose a threat to society, but they have been met with quite a bit of hesitation from the courts (2020).
Ophelia Davis’s grandson has been in the juvenile corrections system since he was 14, and has been held at a South Carolina facility that is notorious for its violence. All family visits have been indefinitely suspended, and now Davis is unable to tell her grandson that she loves him in-person, see his face or evaluate if he may be hurt. She has underlying health conditions and is uncertain if she will ever see her grandson again. Educational and rehabilitative programs have also been cancelled and inmates who may have been exposed are on intense lockdowns, as previously mentioned (Hager, 2020). Isolating a child who is already in isolation is detrimental to their emotional well-being, thus increasing the likelihood of behavioral and mental health concerns. The impact of limited visitation, programming disruption, isolation and under-staffed facilities has no doubt affected justice-involved youth.
Many juveniles have reported that maintaining social distance has been difficult because there is not enough space to keep six feet distance, nor is it enforced. One teenager stated, “And then I was thinking: it doesn’t even matter. Everybody was breathing the same air” (Youth Justice Under the Coronavirus, 2020). Steps taken to isolate these youth mirror solitary confinement practices, which is considered inhumane treatment of children under international human rights law and standards. A Maryland public defender shares that many of her clients already have mental illnesses that are exacerbated by isolation. An interesting loophole to this is that in Maryland and Colorado, the rooms of medically isolated are unlocked which separates this practice from solitary confinement. The Youth Justice Under the Coronavirus report explains that programming disruptions goes against the juvenile justice system’s mission of a rehabilitative approach. Although the times are vastly different than the norm, social workers should still continue advocating for the reinstatement of rehabilitative programming for the growth, development and harm reduction of justice-involved youth. Many inmates cannot be released from custody until these programs have been completed, which is virtually impossible now with the COVID-19 pandemic. The system is unnecessarily delaying the release of certain youth for circumstances completely out of the individual’s control, and alternative approaches needed to be discussed and implemented for the holistic well-being of this population.
As this pandemic inevitably continues, juvenile detention facilities should consider the recommendations made by the Center for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and juvenile justice advocacy groups. Recommendations include: ensuring confined youth have the same access to distance learning as nonconfined youth; ensuring frequent communication between youth and their families; supervision of medical isolation be given by medical personnel, not law enforcement personnel; provide proper sanitation and personal protective supplies for staff and youth; and at least daily monitoring of medically isolated youth by mental health staff. As a marginalized group, detained juveniles should be given considerations of early release and effective strategies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic without negative implications.
~ Riley Ramirez
Photo from: https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/covid-19-in-juvenile-facilities/
References
American Academy of Pediatrics (Ed.). (2020, August 25). Responding to the Needs of Youth Involved With the Justice System During the COVID-19 Pandemic. https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/responding-to-the-needs-of-youth-involved-with-the-justice-system--during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
Green, E. L. (2020, April 14). 'Pacing and Praying': Jailed Youths Seek Release as Virus Spreads. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/us/politics/coronavirus-juvenile-detention.html%20Accessed%20on%2004/18/2020
Hager, E. (2020, March 23). ["I Want to See my Child." Juvenile Lockups Cut Visits Over COVID-19 Fears]. The Marshall Project. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/03/23/i-want-to-see-my-child-juvenile-lockups-cut-visits-over-covid-19-fears
Rovner, J. (2020, October 30). COVID-19 in Juvenile Facilities. The Sentencing Project. https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/covid-19-in-juvenile-facilities/
Youth Justice Under the Coronavirus. (2020). The Sentencing Project. https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Youth-Justice-Under-the-Coronavirus.pdf
Riley,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job covering many aspects of youth incarcerated during our current pandemic. What stood out to me was that the youth are stated that they can not take the proper precautions in keeping themselves socially distant from others. Specifically, that this is not being enforced in correctional facilities. I only really looked into adult incarceration, but your topic on youth incarceration has given me a different perspective. Thank you for sharing!
COVID has really strangled necessary support services for already vulnerable populations. The prison system's lack of focus on rehabilitation and philosophical leaning towards detainment and restriction is quite evident from the information you've shared. I cannot believe that rehabilitative programs for growth, harm reduction, and development have been limited to the point that many young individuals cannot be released from custody because they have not completed the necessary terms of their punishment. The longer they are detained without the appropriate supports, the more likely they are to be exposed to mental and/or physical health issues and to miss out on valuable opportunities to move forward as a liberated person in normal society. Governments have spent numerous funds to ensure economic, business, and social continuity in the midst of the pandemic. If various government organizations, schools, and corporate entities can successfully modify their operations to ensure that business is carried out as usual, then why can't prisons?
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to note that I was just reading some articles about rates of incarceration and healthcare. What I found to be most fascinating is that many southern states have higher rates of incarceration alongside higher rates of poverty, in turn impacting an incarcerated person's ability to access care due not only to overcrowding and challenges with service/provider access, but also their inability to pay for treatment. It was also sad to learn that many inmates aren't afforded privacy/autonomy in their healthcare due to their status as "wards" of the state. If care isn't neglected altogether, oftentimes prison guards and other personnel accompany inmates to doctor visits.
Thanks so much for your post! -Melissa Muth Martinez