People in prison are at high risk from COVID-19 because of the prevalence of underlying chronic health conditions and the living environment, which can make social distancing and other preventive measures more difficult. These are our COVID-19 Calls for Government.
We know that prisons are high-risk settings for the transmission of contagious diseases. Prison workers have not been included in guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and People.
Added to the stress of extended isolation for many prisoners, staff absence due to illness or the need to self-isolate is significantly straining already stretched resources. And that strain often continues after release, as support workers try to find housing for the hundreds of people who leave prison every month, in the middle of lockdown, without a home to go to.
Nacro calls on government to:
- Ensure that all staff working within prisons are now treated as a priority for COVID-19 vaccination.
- Reinstate the early release scheme with a wider remit to reduce the number of people in prison and help slow the spread of the virus.
- Reinstate the funding to ensure everyone leaving prison has somewhere to stay.