NEWLY-CONFIRMED Prisons Commissioner Dennis Pulchan is facing the first major test of his tenure with the sudden resurgence of covid19 cases in the prison system, months after previous waves were brought under control.
In the wake of a fresh cluster affecting at least 34 prisoners at Carrera Island Prison over the weekend, Mr Pulchan is calling on prisoners to get immunised.
But the commissioner should do more. He should invoke his powers to make vaccination compulsory for everyone on prison premises - officers and prisoners alike - and work with the State to ensure this outcome.
Confusingly, though he is urging prisoners to get vaccinated, Mr Pulchan is optimistic the situation is not dire.
'Because of the intensity of the way we are battling this pandemic we are keeping our numbers down,' he said on Sunday, noting the prison population is about 3,800. 'We have had higher numbers previously, so we're not doing too badly.'
Mr Pulchan's optimism is misplaced.
It is crystal clear prisons are high-risk locations. By definition, they are sealed-in enclosures, the kind of spaces within which viruses thrive.
While many improvements have been made to infrastructure and systems of sanitisation, prisons remain notorious for being overcrowded, poorly ventilated and, in some areas, poorly sanitised.
Such is the picture confirmed by a long line of court cases, the most recent of which involves three inmates challenging a decision to transfer them to cells with no lights, no running water and no toiletries.
All over the world, prisoners have been sentenced to pay an additional price for their crimes. In March, a United Nations expert on prison reform, Philipp Meissner, warned that more than 11 million prisoners worldwide have been disproportionately affected.
'Undoubtedly, prisons are high-risk environments for covid19 for those who live and work there,' Mr Meissner said.
It's estimated there are more than 527,000 prisoners who have become infected with the virus in 122 countries, with more than 3,800 fatalities in 47 countries, but these numbers are likely understated due to difficulties with testing.
The Carrera Island cluster is hardly an isolated incident. In April, Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds reported eight prisoners and 17 officers had been confirmed positive. That followed last year's instances of 80-plus inmates and 250 officers being infected.
But the discrepancy between the numbers for officers versus prisoners tells a story of likely underreporting.
Government has announced retail outlets will reopen this month. At the same time, it has shown a degree of hesitancy when it comes to vaccine mandates.
The State might be looking to see whether the carrot will save it from having to use the stick.
But in clear-cut, high-risk areas like prisons there is no need to wait and see. In fact, it is dangerous at this stage to do so.
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