All across the nation prisons and jails have become high risks for coronavirus outbreaks. The lack of space makes it harder to create social distancing between inmates. Despite this, Utah’s prisons have been able to keep their numbers low.
As of May of this year, there were more than 6,000 inmates in the State. But in Utah, the head of the prison department said only three inmates have tested positive for the virus.
Mike Haddon is the executive director for the state's corrections department. He said the three prisoners turned out to be asymptomatic.
Haddon is worried that correctional officers will bring the virus into the prison facilities. So he said his department is responding quickly and decisively to contain any threat of COVID-19.
“We've shut down visitation or volunteers coming into the facility," said Haddon. "Anyone entering our facilities, they can only come in staff wise that can only come in through one entrance point, rather than the multiple that we typically have. We barricaded the rest of the points. And they are screened every time they come in, their temperatures taken, they're asked the screening questions. If they come in, and then they're required to wear face coverings while they're there working within the prison. We've also bright face coverings for all of our inmate population."
Haddon said once new inmates are tested, they are kept in a separate area for two weeks before they can join the general population. Inmates who experience symptoms of coronavirus are quarantined in another area; and those who test positive are isolated in a third area. Those who are isolated are given reading materials and medical assistance during their time.
And to help all prisoners cope, they are given 10 free 15-minute phone calls per week. Typically the inmates would have to pay for those calls. Haddon is also hoping to have computers available for all inmates to facetime their families and friends. Not much information is known whether prison staff have contracted the virus.
Although Haddon thinks if there are cases, most likely they are individuals who work outside the prison such as parole or probation officers.
