An Examination of COVID-19 Outbreaks in African Prisons and Jails

ABSTRACT

This article examines country-level variations in the extent of COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons and jails across the African region. Differences in the use of front-end, in-prison, and back-end mitigation strategies are identified. We conclude our regional overview by providing a preliminary assessment of the short-term impact of these varied mitigation strategies on inmate and staff health outcomes, including both physical health and mental health. Both the intended and unintended consequences of governmental responses to COVID-19 outbreaks are considered.

KEYWORDS:

• International
• prisons
• corrections
• COVID-19
• pandemic
• Alternatives to incarceration
• Early release mechanisms
• Prison reform

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. As of late-August (2020).

2. Not including either the Oceanic region or Antarctica.

3. Africa’s total COVID-19 case count is based on data extracted from Coronavirus Resource Center on August 26, 2020.

4. As of late August (2020).

5. The African countries within the world’s 50 largest prison systems include South Africa (ranked 12^th), Ethiopia (ranked 14^th), Egypt (ranked 15^th), Morocco (ranked 21^st), Rwanda (ranked 26^th), Algeria (also ranked 26^th), Nigeria (ranked 28^th), Uganda (ranked 36^th), Kenya (ranked 39^th), and Tanzania (ranked 49^th; World Prison Brief, 2020).

6. For more detail, see the country-specific reviews of South Africa and Kenya included in this volume.

7. As of August 23, 2020.

8. As of August 26, 2020.

9. For more detail, see Marks and Negeri (2020).

10. As of the end of August (2020).

11. As of August 26, 2020.

12. However, the Algerian president was not explicit as to whether his choice to release inmates was related to the pandemic.