By Canadian Press

AP Exclusive: Visits to federal inmates halted over virus

Mar 13, 2020 | 11:39 AM

WASHINGTON — Inmates at all 122 federal correctional facilities across the country will no longer be allowed visits from family, friends or attorneys for the next 30 days, in response to the threat of the coronavirus, officials told The Associated Press on Friday.

The restrictions, now in effect, were portrayed as a precaution, since no federal inmates or Bureau of Prisons staff members have tested positives for COVID-19. The officials said some exceptions could be made for legal visits.

The plan to temporarily suspend visitation, curtail staff travel and pause inmate transfers is part of the bureau’s action plan for concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus for the 175,000 inmates in BOP custody.

Correctional officers and other Bureau of Prisons staff members who work in facilities in areas with “sustained community transmission” or at medical referral centres — which provide advanced care for inmates with chronic or acute medical conditions — would be subject to enhanced health screenings. Those include having their temperature taken before they report for duty each day.

The restrictions, described in an action plan obtained by the AP, will remain in effect for 30 days and then will be re-evaluated. Unlike a security lockdown, inmates will not be locked in cells.

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The restrictions come as courts have suspended or delayed trials and classes, sports events, concerts and conferences are cancelled across the nation in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.

Under the new plan, there would be no social visits at any Bureau of Prisons facilities, but inmates would be eligible for an additional 200 minutes of phone time per month. Legal visits are also being suspended, though officials said accommodations could be made on a case-by-case basis.

“Access to legal counsel remains a paramount requirement in the BOP but like social visiting, the BOP is mitigating the risk of exposure created by external visitors,” the agency said in a statement.

The new plan was being put into place because “the population density of prisons creates a risk of infection and transmission for inmates and staff,” it said. As part of the plan, all new inmates are screened for the risk factors of COVID-19. Those who are asymptomatic but have risk factors would be quarantined and those who showed symptoms and also had risk factors would be isolated and tested for COVID-19.

Visits by volunteers, as well as official staff travel, and training will also be suspended, with limited exceptions. Inmates will still be able to speak privately with religious advisers by phone.

Health officials have been warning for more than a decade about the dangers of outbreaks in jails and prisons, which are ideal environments for virus outbreaks: Inmates share small cells with total strangers, use toilets just a few feet from their beds, and are herded into day rooms where they spend hours at a time together.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press