The spread of COVID-19 in prisons and other detention facilities has thrown into stark relief systemic threats to health in detention such as overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions.
Over 11 million people worldwide are estimated to be held in prisons, serving prison sentences or awaiting trial. People in detention are at heightened risk from COVID-19 due to a number of interlinked systemic factors. Firstly, prisoners often have a greater underlying burden of disease and worse health conditions than the general population. Secondly, prisons and other places of detention tend to have a high prevalence of diseases, infections and pathogens due to poor living conditions. Thirdly, physical distancing is often difficult to achieve in prisons. Finally, only limited health care may be available to those in detention.
The numbers of older people in detention are on the rise in many countries and members of minority communities are often over-represented in prisons; these groups are recognized as among those facing particular risks from COVID-19.
Against this backdrop, Amnesty International has conducted a review of 69 governments’ response to soaring infection rates in detention facilities. It has concluded that the measures governments have introduced to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have often been inadequate and, in some cases, have themselves led to human rights violations.
The 69 countries, spread across different regions of the world, were chosen as a convenience sample, mainly based on available information. Between May 2020 and February 2021, Amnesty International conducted extensive desk research, interviews (some conducted face-to-face but most remotely) and collected data through the use of questionnaires. It spoke to officials, prison managers and doctors and former detainees. It reviewed publications issued by UN agencies, regional bodies and national governments, as well as national human rights institutions and NGOs. It sent communications to governments to present findings and seek information, receiving several responses.