The pandemic in prison: interventions and overisolation

Resumo Saúde prisional é, em sua essência, saúde pública. A pandemia de COVID-19 representa uma grande ameaça para o mundo e tem demonstrado que prevenir a escalada da doença em prisões faz parte do combate ao novo coronavírus na sociedade em geral. Sabe-se, até o momento, que a mais efetiva medida de contenção ao avanço da doença é o isolamento social. No entanto, em instituições penais, muitas vezes superlotadas, tal medida torna-se de difícil implementação e, quando acontece, leva a população privada de liberdade a um superisolamento, tendo consequências em sua saúde mental. Além disso, indivíduos presos sofrem com ambientes sem ventilação, falta de materiais de higiene pessoal, condições sanitárias básicas precárias e dificuldade de acesso a serviços de saúde. O presente artigo objetiva ser uma revisão narrativa sobre os efeitos da pandemia em presídios e como governos e sociedade civil têm se organizado a fim de reduzir as consequências sobre esses locais. A publicação foi dividida em três seções: na primeira, há uma revisão da literatura em saúde sobre a temática;na segunda, é tratado o modo como diferentes países estão lidando com a situação carcerária no contexto da pandemia;na terceira e última parte, é abordado o modo como o Sistema Penal brasileiro tem reagido à nova doença. Prisional health is, in its essence, public health. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great threat to the world and has shown that preventing the disease escalation in prisons integrates the novel corona virus clash in society in general. Up to this moment, the most effective known measure to curb the disease spread is social isolation. Nevertheless, in penal institutions, often overcrowded, social isolation becomes difficult to carry out and, when it happens, it takes the enclosed population to overisolation, with consequences to their mental health. Besides, prisoners suffer with clogged up environment, lack of materials for personal hygiene, poor basic sanitary conditions and difficulties in accessing health services. This paper deals with a narrative review on the pandemic effects in prisons and how government and civil society have organized themselves in order to reduce the disease consequences at those places. The text has been divided into three sections: the first with literature review on the current health theme;the second discusses how different countries have been dealing with the prison situation in the pandemic context, and, the last part focuses on how the Brazilian Penal System has reacted to the new disease.

The pandemic in prison: interventions and overisolation. / A pandemia no cárcere: intervenções no superisolamento.

Prisional health is, in its essence, public health. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great threat to the world and has shown that preventing the disease escalation in prisons integrates the novel corona virus clash in society in general. Up to this moment, the most effective known measure to curb the disease spread is social isolation. Nevertheless, in penal institutions, often overcrowded, social isolation becomes difficult to carry out and, when it happens, it takes the enclosed population to overisolation, with consequences to their mental health. Besides, prisoners suffer with clogged up environment, lack of materials for personal hygiene, poor basic sanitary conditions and difficulties in accessing health services. This paper deals with a narrative review on the pandemic effects in prisons and how government and civil society have organized themselves in order to reduce the disease consequences at those places. The text has been divided into three sections: the first with literature review on the current health theme; the second discusses how different countries have been dealing with the prison situation in the pandemic context, and, the last part focuses on how the Brazilian Penal System has reacted to the new disease.